Former World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic bowed out of the Australian Open after he was beaten by unseeded Uzbek tennis player Denis Istomin in a five-set thriller. Istomin, who has a world ranking of 117, beat the six-time Australian Open champion 7-6 (8), 5-7, 2-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 in a pulsating match.

The first set lasted for 85 minutes with Istomin winning the tie-breaker 7-6 (8). The second set saw the champion make a comeback with a 7-5 win.

The third set saw Djokovic cruising past Istomin 6-2. When everyone thought that the match was in the Djokovic’s corner, Istomin staged a thrilling comeback to take the fourth 7-6 (4) in the tie-break. The fifth and final set saw Istomin break Djokovic early and eventually win the set and match 6-4. It was a gritty performance by Istomin, who was clearly the better player on the Rod Laver Arena.