Wawrinka heads to Melbourne quarterfinals

Wawrinka made into the last eight with a straight sets victory against Spain’s Tommy Robredo — 6-3, 7-6(3), 7-6 (5).

Robredo played a spirited game that lasted two hours 23 minutes but Wawrinka, who served 14 aces and won 90 percent of the first serve points, emerged the victor.

“It was a tough match,” Wawrinka, ranked eighth in the world, said.

“I was playing really, really good,” he said, before sounding a note of pessimism about his chances against Djokovic, defending Aussie Open champ.

The world number two has won 15 of 17 games played against Wawrinka.

“We all know how good he is, especially in Grand Slams,” the Lausanne native said.

“I haven’t found a solution yet.”

Wawrinka played one of the best matches of his career last year against Djokovic in the fourth round of the Australian Open, which he lost in five sets.

Then he went on to give the Serb a test in the semifinals of last year’s US Open, which Djokovic also finally won in five sets.

The two will face off again on Tuesday night.

Wawrinka's compatriot Roger Federer, meanwhile, takes on France’s Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Monday in his bid to make the quarterfinals.