Novak Djokovic has won his 17th straight match at the Australian Open, beating Radek Stepanek 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 in the third round Friday.

Djokovic, the two-time defending champion at Melbourne Park who also won the title in 2008, is hoping to become the first man in the Open era to win three consecutive Australian Open titles. Nine other men have won back-to-back Australian titles since the Open era began in 1968.

On Friday, he broke Stepanek's serve in the 11th game of the third set then held to win the match in 2 hours, 22 minutes.

The 25-year-old Serb will play either American Sam Querrey or Switzerland's Stanislaw Wawrinka in the fourth round Sunday.