Tennis News

The first of the two men’s quarter-finals came to fruition following relatively straightforward contest for their respective participants, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych. Now, following their impressive displays, the two competitors will cross paths for the 22nd time on the professional tour to determine who will advance to the final four in Melbourne. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 18-3 and has won the last 17 consecutive meetings dating back to 2006.

Watch the match here: Nadal v Berdych Live Stream

In arguably his best performance in recent memory, Tomas Berdych put on a clinic against Bernard Tomic to defeat the Aussie 6-2, 7-6(3), 6-2 and find his way into the quarter-final round of the tournament. Berdych hit 52 winners, 17 aces, and won 85% of his first service points to play a near-impenetrable game. He snuffed out any chances Tomic had to break serve and limited his ability to rally on points with some fantastic serving. The match lasted just over two hours and set Berdych up with his eighth consecutive quarter-final at the Australian Open – this time against former champion Rafael Nadal.

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“I’m feeling very good. It’s been a great, great run so far. But, yeah, I just put myself in the best possible position right now. I’m just really looking forward to it. I’m going to have to, you know, add something extra again. I mean, that’s how the tournament is developing, just move forward, just be ready for it. You know, I’m feeling strong both like physically, mentally. Just looking forward to the match.”

The second men’s fourth round match saw Nadal dispatch South Africa’s Kevin Anderson in straight sets to make it evidently clear that he was back in competitive form. The win against Anderson was his highest ranked win since the French Open last season and cements his spot as one of the few players remaining in the draw that could be an imminent threat to the title. His performance overall was far cleaner than his earlier matches in Melbourne, as he struck more winners than unforced errors (33 to 25) and won 78% of his first service points to finish the match 7-5, 6-1, 6-1.

“Happy the way I played today. Is the first day that I felt that I was playing at the level that I want to play and the way that I want to play. Let’s have a chance to practice tomorrow, keep doing well the things I did today, and then try to arrive for the next match with the highest energy possible and try to be ready for it. I know it’s going to be very tough.”

This marks the 22nd time that Nadal and Berdych will cross paths on the professional tour, with Nadal leading the series 18-3. The Spaniard is also on a 17-match win streak against Berdych and will look to maintain that streak against the motivated Czech native. While Berdych is playing some fantastic tennis so far in Melbourne, he has done little overall to have the prediction lean in his favour.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Four Sets

While the first set of men’s fourth round matches were relatively straightforward affairs, the second pair of outings were thrilling encounters that needed well above the minimum three-set allowance to determine the victors. In the end, and to the delight of the crowds in Melbourne, British No. 1 Andy Murray and surging Aussie sensation Nick Kyrgios will meet for a spot in the semi-final round of the tournament. This is just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the tour, with the Murray v Kyrgios head to head standing at 1-0.

Watch the match here: Murray v Kyrgios Stream

The final match of the evening on Rod Laver Arena was a four-set clash between Andy Murray and Grigor Dimitrov. The contest was entertaining at parts, as the pair split the first two sets and kept foiling each other’s break point attempts. However, Murray eventually found his way into the quarter-final round with a 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, 7-5 scoreline. Murray hit 10 aces, 42 winners and won 77% of his first service points in the process.

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“I thought I played well. I thought he started the match extremely well. He came out very aggressive, very explosive. But, you know, it’s tough to keep that sort of level of intensity up. And then, yeah, once I got myself into the match, I felt like I was able to dictate a lot of the points. I thought tactically I played a good match.”

In undoubtedly the best match of the tournament so far this year, Nick Kyrgios rallied back from two sets down to defeat Federer-vanquisher Andreas Seppi en route to the quarter-final round of the Australian Open. The Aussie was also forced to save a match point in the process before he mounted an astonishing comeback that ended with a decisive break late in the fifth and final set. Kyrgios became the first Australian to reach the quarter-final round of home Slam since Lleyton Hewitt achieved that feat in 2005.

“I knew it was going to be a tough battle. He’s playing some of the best tennis he’s played ever since coming off that win against Roger. I knew it was going to be tough from the get-go. I just had to draw on my experiences of coming back from two sets to love. Paid off in the end.”

The 19-year-old hit 66 winners, 25 aces, and won 75% of his first service points to advance to a thrilling encounter against Murray.

“Murray, I think he’s one of the greatest athletes on the tour. He’s going to make me play a lot of balls.”

This is just the second time that Murray and Kyrgios will clash on the tour, yet the stakes are far greater this time around. Murray cruised through their first encounter at the Rogers Cup in Toronto 6-2, 6-2, but it is unlikely that he will be handed such a simple match this time around. Kyrgios appears to play his best when under the bright lights of Grand Slam stadiums, and will likely push this encounter into 4-5 sets. While Murray should edge him out eventually, it will likely be a riveting contest on Rod Laver Arena.

Prediction: Andy Murray in Five Sets

Following straightforward matches in their respective fourth round encounters, Simona Halep and Ekaterina Makarova will meet for the second time on the professional tour. The Romanian seed leads the head-to-head series 1-0, having won their lone meeting in New Haven two years ago.

Watch the match here: Halep v Makarova Live

Simona Halep eased into the quarter-final stage in Melbourne with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Yanina Wickmayer. The Romanian dropped serve twice in the match but managed to convert five of her own to earn the victory in 1 hour and 19 minutes. She also struck 23 winners and 5 aces en route to the final eight.

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“I have (a lot of confidence) now because I didn’t lose a set,” Halep said following her win. “I had good matches here in first week, so I’m really happy that I’m in second week now like last year. Here I started to play my best tennis in Grand Slams. So means a lot for me. I really have more confidence now to play the quarterfinals.”

Ekaterina Makarova needed just 69 minutes to dispatch Germany’s Julia Goerges to reach the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open. The Russian struck 15 winners and won 85% of her first service points to close out the match 6-3, 6-2.

“We played once in New Haven I think not the last year, the year before,” Makarova said of her upcoming opponent. “I lost 6-1, 7-6, something like that. She’s one of the greatest player now, and I’m really looking forward. If she wins today, depends, yeah. I will want to forward and forward step by step.”

This marks just the second career meeting between Simona Halep and Ekaterina Makarova, the first of which took place two years ago in New Haven. Halep is yet to lose a set to Makarova and will look to maintain that streak en route to the final four in Melbourne.

“I have my chance,” said Halep. “I believe in my chance next round. So I have to make my game again to be aggressive and to serve well like today.”

Prediction: Simona Halep in Straight Sets

After taking separate trajectories over the first week of the season-opening Grand Slam event, Maria Sharapova and Eugenie Bouchard will meet in the quarter-final stage of the Australian Open to the delight of fans in attendance. This will mark the fourth time that the two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Sharapova leading the head to head series with an unbeaten 3-0 record.

Watch the match here: Sharapova v Bouchard Live

The second seeded Sharapova stormed into the final eight in Melbourne with a rapid-fire straight sets win against Shuai Peng. She dropped just three games in her 6-3, 6-0 win over Peng and needed just 1 hour and 15 minutes to do so. The Russian struck 27 winners, 15 unforced errors and won 73% of her first service points to ease into her match-up against Bouchard.

Seventh seed Eugenie Bouchard had a slightly more turbulent path to the quarter-finals. After leading 6-1, 3-0, and seemingly en route to a remarkably simple wi against the surging Irina-Camelia Begu, she allowed the Romanian to level the match at 5-5, and then steal the set to force a decider. However, the Canadian managed to find the decisive break for a 5-2 lead and closed out the match from there.

“It’s disappointing for me because I want to play so well and I want to be perfect. That’s not possible. It happens. Yeah, I think I started being a bit less aggressive, a bit too passive, and you know, that’s not my game at all. I don’t do well when that happens. She could string together a few good points here and there, hit some good shots and serves and got some confidence in the second set. You know, that helped her. So definitely disappointing.”

Of Sharapova and Bouchard’s three encounters, the Canadian is yet to work out a way to beat her Russian adversary. Their last two meetings took place at the French Open, the most recent of which was the only time that Bouchard was able to snatch a set off her opponent. While this has all the makings of an exciting encounter, one will have to give Sharapova the advantage given her performances to date in Melbourne.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova in Three Sets