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Australian Open Day 7 - 8

Day Eight

Djokovic, Wawrinka, Nishikori, Raonic Through to the Quarterfinals

atpworldtour.com: January 26 2015 Melbourne, Australia - World No. 5 Kei Nishikori is through to the Australian Open quarter-finals for the second time after overcoming David Ferrer 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 Monday in Melbourne. The Japanese will look to reach the semi-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time when he faces defending champion Stan Wawrinka in the last eight. Three years ago he became the first Japanese man in the Open Era to reach the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, before losing to Andy Murray.

 

The 25-year-old Nishikori made history as he became the first Asian man to contest a Grand Slam final last year when he defeated three Top 10 players – including Wawrinka in five sets in the quarter-finals - to reach the US Open final, finishing runner-up to Marin Cilic. It was his first win over Wawrinka, who had beaten him twice before.

 

Defending champion Wawrinka survived a stern test from Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, prevailing 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) in their fourth-round match. It took the Swiss 70 winners and just over three hours to advance to the quarter-finals at the Australian Open for the third time.

 

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic ended Gilles Muller’s inspired Australian Open run on Monday night in Melbourne with a 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 victory over the Luxembourg native to reach the quarter-finals. In his 23rd consecutive Grand Slam quarter-final, Djokovic will face Milos Raonic for the fifth time.

 

Raonic became the first Canadian man in the Open Era to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals on Monday as he edged Feliciano Lopez 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 on.  The Toronto native is the first Canadian into the last eight in Melbourne since Michael Belkin in 1968, when the event was played in January. He is through to his third Grand Slam quarter-final, having made his breakthrough at Roland Garros last year (l. to Djokovic) and going on to reach his first semi-final a month later at Wimbledon (l. to Federer).

Williams Sisters Roll to Quarters; Cibulkova Tops Azarenka; Keys Stop Brengle

wtatennis.com: January 26 2015 Melbourne, Australia - With the Australia Day fireworks about to light up the sky, Venus Williams was making her own fireworks on Rod Laver Arena - the seven-time Grand Slam champion and former World No.1 battled past Agnieszka Radwanska to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2010.

 

From the outset Williams looked ready to play, battling through the first set in 51 minutes and, after Radwanska retaliated with a routine second set and a break in the first game of the third set, bringing out an amazing late match revival, reeling off six games in a row to prevail, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. Williams had a whopping 43 winners to 36 unforced. The No.6-seeded Radwanska had 23 winners to 19 unforced.

 

Venus’s sister the No.1-seeded Serena after dropping the opening set stayed even with Garbine Muguruza through 3-all in the second set before breaking away to take it, 6-3, and after digging her way out of an absolute marathon of an 0-1 service game in the third - she had to fight off six break points in that eight-deuce game - she started to roll, eventually finishing the No.24-seeded Spaniard off after exactly two hours on the clock, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.

 

Dominika Cibulkova outslugged Victoria Azarenka to move through to the quarterfinals once again. Though Cibulkova was technically the favorite in the match - she was the No.11 seed, after all, and Azarenka was unseeded - Azarenka had won seven of their nine career meetings, and while Cibulkova was the finalist here last year, Azarenka had actually won the title twice, in 2012 and 2013.

 

Cibulkova came out strong, storming through the first set, 6-2, but Azarenka began building her comeback straight away from the start of the second set, taking that one, 6-3, and jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the third. She was two points away from taking a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead. But Cibulkova - who would have fallen out of the Top 20 with a loss - found a second wind right when she needed it most, reeling off six of the last seven games to steal the victory, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3.

Inglot/Mergea Upset Bryans in 3rd Round

atpworldtour.com: January 26 2015 Melbourne, Australia – Six-time Australian Open champions Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan suffered a third-round loss on Monday at the hands of No. 14 seeds Dominic Inglot and Florin Mergea. The British/Romanian pair powered past the No. 1 seeds 7-6(4), 6-3 in just over one hour.

 

It is the first time the Bryan brothers have made consecutive pre-quarter-final exits at a Grand Slam for the first time since Roland Garros (’00-’01). They also bowed out in the third round last year. Inglot and Mergea, the Heineken Open finalists, hit nine aces and 46 winners en route to their quarter-final berth.

 

They next face No. 6 seeds and the Apia International Sydney runners up, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, who needed just over two hours to defeat No. 12 seeds Eric Butorac, who reached the final with Raven Klaasen last year, and Sam Groth 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(5).

Australian Open Men’s Singles Fourth Round Monday Jan 26

1-Novak Djokovic beat Gilles Muller 6-4 7-5 7-5

4-Stan Wawrinka beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6(2) 6-4 4-6 7-6(8)

5- Kei Nishikori beat 9-David Ferrer 6-3 6-3 6-3

8-Milos Raonic beat 12-Feliciano Lopez 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-7(7) 6-3

Australian Open Women’s Singles Fourth Round Monday Jan 26

1-Serena Williams beat Garbine Muguruza 2-6 6-3 6-2

11-Dominika Cibulkova beat Victoria Azarenka 6-2 3-6 6-3

18-Venus Williams beat 6-Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 2-6 6-1

Madison Keys beat Madison Brengle 6-2 6-4

Day Seven

Kyrgios Rallies Past Seppi to Reach QF; Nadal Downs Anderson; Murray Denies Dimitrov

atpworldtour.com: January 25 2015 Melbourne, Australia - Nick Kyrgios has ice water in his veins. Struggling to find his rhythm and range down two sets to none to Andreas Seppi on Sunday, Kyrgios turned up the dial, saving a match point en route to a pulsating 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6(5), 8-6 victory in three hours and 34 minutes. The Aussie doesn’t just win matches; he puts on a captivating show with enough fireworks to rival the New Year’s Eve celebration at Sydney Harbour.

 

The 19 year old, who became the first Australian to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park since Lleyton Hewitt achieved the feat in 2005, did not capitulate with his back against the wall, reminding the Aussie faithful why he’s one of the brightest young stars on the ATP World Tour.

 

Kyrgios absorbed the energy from the home crowd on Hisense Arena as the decibel level rose to deafening heights and he credited his fans with spurring him to victory. Kyrgios will now meet Andy Murray who reached his sixth consecutive Australian Open quarter-final on Sunday as he edged Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 in a riveting fourth-round match up on Rod Laver Arena

 

World No. 3 Rafael Nadal cruised into the Australian Open quarter-finals for the eighth time on Sunday as he defeated Kevin Anderson 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 at Melbourne Park. Having been on the brink of defeat in his second-round battle against Tim Smyczek on Wednesday, Nadal hailed his best performance of the season as he dismissed Anderson in just over two hours on Rod Laver Arena. The left-hander goes on to face Tomas Berdych, who defeated Bernard Tomic 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-2.

Sharapova Set QF Clash with Bouchard; Halep, Makarova Advance

wtatennis.com: January 25 2015 Melbourne, Australia - - Simona Halep lifted her level against one of her toughest match-ups, beating Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets on Sunday to reach the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. Wickmayer had won the pair's only three previous meetings, and handily in straight sets, no less, and things looked like they would get tricky again this time as the Belgian cut an early 4-1 deficit to 4-3, pushing Halep to the limits in the first set with her big serve and even bigger groundstrokes.

 

But the No.3-seeded Halep ended tucking away that first set a few games later and starting rolling in the second set, eventually finishing the match off after an hour and 19 minutes, 6-4, 6-2. Halep's numbers on the match were very clean - 23 winners to 13 unforced errors, a +10 differential. Those 23 winners in 79 minutes work out to roughly one winner every three and a half minutes. Awaiting Halep in the quarterfinals is No.10 seed Ekaterina Makarova, who won her fourth round match against Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2 earlier in the day.

 

There were some rough patches early on, but Maria Sharapova hit through them and powered past Peng Shuai in straight sets to move into the Australian Open quarterfinals. For the first 20 minutes of the match things were almost dead even, the two players trading breaks in the sixth and seventh games and Sharapova emerging from that with a 4-3 lead. But the match turned on a dime from there, the No.2-seeded Sharapova playing all the big points well to reel off eight games in a row, eventually finishing the No.21-seeded Peng off in an hour and 15 minutes, 6-3, 6-0.

 

Sharapova finished the match with her 27th winner of the day - a big backhand into the open court. Awaiting Sharapova in the quarterfinals is No.7 seed Eugenie Bouchard, who regrouped to beat Irina-Camelia Begu 6-1 5-7 6-2 to become the first player into the quarterfinals.

Australian Open Men’s Singles Fourth Round Sunday Jan 25

3-Rafael Nadal beat 14-Kevin Anderson 7-5 6-1 6-4

6-Andy Murray beat 10-Grigor Dimitrov 6-4 6-7(5) 6-3 7-5

7-Tomas Berdych beat Bernard Tomic 6-2 7-6(3) 6-2

Nick Kyrgios beat Andreas Seppi 5-7 4-6 6-3 7-6(5)8-6

Australian Open Women’s Singles Fourth Round Sunday Jan 25

2-Maria Sharapova beat 21-Shuai Peng 6-3 6-0

3-Simona Halep beat Yanina Wickmayer 6-4 6-2

7-Eugenie Bouchard beat Irina Begu 6-1 5-7 6-2

10-Ekaterina Makarova beat Julia Goerges 6-3 6-2

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