Intro:

Late reaction from the Australian Open after Novak Djokovic defeated Milos Raonic in straight sets on Wednesday (28th January) to secure a semifinal berth.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Novak Djokovic, top seed:
(On winning the first set in a tiebreaker)

"It was a close first set, but I thought I had more chances in the first set than him. Managed to stay tough in the right moments and win the crucial first set. Obviously winning it in a tiebreak and making the break of serve first game of the second set was definitely huge really for me. I could start swinging through a little bit more, be more aggressive into the court. You know, since that first game of the second set I played a great match.

SOUNDBITE (English) Novak Djokovic, top seed:
(On what he takes from having only lost one service game so far in Melbourne)

"Yes, I take a lot of confidence. I try to carry that in every next match, next challenge. Obviously I'm going to play Stan, who is the defending champion here. We played five-set matches in 2013 and '14 Australian Open. I'm going to be ready for a fight. But knowing that I have raised the level of performance tonight, and probably playing the best match of the tournament so far is affecting my confidence in a positive way. Hopefully I can carry that into next one."

SOUNDBITE (English) Novak Djokovic, top seed:
(On facing Stan Wawrinka for the third year in a row in Melbourne)

"As I mentioned before, I'm ready for the battle. When we played last three Grand Slam matches they were the finals stages of a Grand Slam, semifinals, quarterfinals. Grand Slams are the tournaments where you want to perform your best. I'm sure we both are very much aware of that fact, and it's why we get to play on a high level against each other and we push each other to the limit in a way. It's a very physical battle, as well. But I haven't had too many long matches during this tournament. I'm ready for it. I'm going to practice tomorrow, do a little preparation for that match, try to analyze his game and what I need to do in order to win."

SOUNDBITE (English) Milos Raonic, eighth seed:
(On his loss to Novak Djokovic)

"He just didn't allow me to organize my game. Even when he was returning well, by the end of the match he was doing a good job of playing deep and never allowing me to go forward. Obviously if you watch the footage, he was pretty much on the baseline the whole time and I was further back."