DIMITROV edges KYRGIOS in pulsating encounter
MERTENS and EDMUND break new ground
NADAL gets past SCHWARTZMAN in gruelling battle
WOZNIACKI and SUAREZ NAVARRO into QF
CILIC first man through to last eight
By Leigh Walsh
34 mins ago
38 mins ago
"WHAT CAN I SAY? FIRST OF ALL, PLAYING AGAINST NICK IS ALWAYS TRICKY. HE WAS SERVING UNBELIEVABLE, COMPETING UNBELIEVABLE. HE FOUGHT REALLY HARD. EVEN WHEN I WAS SERVING FOR THE MATCH, I FELT IT WAS NOT OVER. I AM JUST GLAD TO GET THROUGH."
- Dimitrov sums it all up
42 mins ago
Dimitrov wins!
71% of the earth is covered by water. The rest by Grigor Dimitrov.
The Bulgarian gets the mini-break with some brilliant scrambling, teasing an error from Kyrgios to go 4-3 up. That lead then becomes 6-3, with Dimitrov smartly taking pace off his first serve and landing both deliveries. Three match points. One saved. The the Bulgarian pulls off a running forehand passing shot winner - are you kidding me! - to win it, and what an apt way to finish.
It finishes 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(4). A title contender once more? You better believe it.
1 hour ago
Oh to be inside Kyrgios’ head right now. He's a born entertainer - between amazing winners, unorthodox shots, the inner dialogue and the muttering at his box, it's simply all happening.
Six points played in the tie-break, each has gone to the server. 3-3.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-6 Kyrgios
Another tie-break. Anyone else need a hug? No? Just me then.
It's now or never for Kyrgios.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 6-5 Kyrgios*
Much respect to Dimitrov for that hold. To love too. He knows a thing or two about being knocked down - it was here last year in the semifinal that he came oh so close to reaching a first Grand Slam final, falling to Nadal in an epic encounter. He knows he needs a short memory.
Kyrgios will serve to stay in it.
1 hour ago
Nick Kyrgios Round 4 AO2018
STAYING ALIVE - Kyrgios holds to love. It's 5-5.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 5-4 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios is still standing! He breaks right back, getting a look at two break points when Dimitrov fluffs a second serve - it's his seventh double fault of the match. Is it nerves? Technique changes? I'm not sure. It's 15-40 and his first serve lands miles long. As he sets himself, a cry comes from the crowd: "you got him Nick!" Neither player is happy, with Kyrgios saying "come on, mate". Dimitrov goes to the towel, regroups, lands the second serve but Kyrgios arrows a backhand winner down-the-line. On we go.
1 hour ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 5-3 Kyrgios
What a game, what a break. Both these players are just pure box office. Where to even start with that game? Kyrgios double faults on game point, and he gives a sarcastic thumbs up to the crowd - did someone call out? I’m not sure. The pressure turns up a notch and he lands a 200kph SECOND SERVE ACE. Is he even human? A missed forehand on the next point would suggest he is. As does his latest shout of GET UP to his box as Dimitrov gets another break point. That comes and goes but the Bulgarian gets another look, scrambling around the baseline before throwing up a Hail Mary lob. Kyrgios can’t miss, can he? He does. Into the bottom of the net.
Dimitrov will serve for the match.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 4-3 Kyrgios*
Dani Vallverdu, Dimitrov’s coach, was as animated as I’ve ever seen him when the players changed ends at 3-2. He seems to be aggrieved with the umpire for not handing down a violation when Kyrgios slapped that ball into the crowd. It’s an interesting one, because it came between first and second serve. I guess his argument is that if it was given, Kyrgios would have had to think a little. Instead, he rattled down an ace to rescue the first of two break points.
Anyway, back to the tennis. Two straightforward holds bring us to 4-3, and I'm already excited for what's to come.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 3-2 Kyrgios*
Fine margins, that’s what many of these games are coming down to now as the tension rises, and when Kyrgios’ return strikes the net cord at 30-30, Rod Laver Arena holds a collective breath as time seems to stand still. It bounces back on his own side, much to Dimitrov’s relief, but when the Bulgarian fluffs a volley on the very next point, Kyrgios has another chance.
Back and forth they go, and one break point goes begging for Kyrgios. Then he goes for a no-look backhand slice approach - WHAT? - game point down and Dimitrov punishes him.
1 hour ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 2-2 Kyrgios
That was gutsy from Kyrgios but boy did he live dangerously. Down double break point, he misses a first serve and smacks the ball into the crowd. He says sorry immediately, gets the head down, and delivers a second serve ace, followed by another ace to climb out of the hole. The players then row back and forth for six points with the Aussie telling his team to GET UP when he fails to convert on another game point.
But his remarkable ability to refocus when he gets back to the line never ceases to amaze, and an ace followed by some big hitting gives him a crucial, crucial hold.
1 hour ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 2-1 Kyrgios*
“It’s like a video game,” says Jim Courier as Kyrgios eats up another Dimitrov serve, walloping a forehand past the frozen Bulgarian as if he had just tapped it over with a frying pan. That return came at 40-0 down, however, and Dimitrov holds on the very next point. And that’s the key, right? Kyrgios will do unbelievable things, but Dimitrov needs to keep doing the basic things unbelievably well.
2 hours ago
Nick Kyrgios Round 4 AO2018
FLYING NOW - Kyrgios is playing lights out
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-6 Kyrgios
Kyrgios has that swagger back in his step and why shouldn’t he. He closes out the third set in style, banging down THREE aces with a forehand winner sandwiched in between. At times in that set, he took Dimitrov’s racquet out of his hands - the Bulgarian hit just four unforced errors - and he'll be hoping for more of the same.
Expect both players to come at each other early in the fourth. This is first-strike tennis at its finest and the battle for court position is key.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 4-5 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios hit shots in that last game that Dimitrov, one of the game’s greatest ever movers, could only watch. The No.3 seed stands firm as he’s peppered with groundstrokes, however, with the Aussie No.1 massively overcooking a slapped forehand on game point.
Now then, the moment we have been waiting for. Kyrgios will serve for the set.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 3-4 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios opts to sneak in on the return once more but he times it terribly, bunting the ball high and long, and Dimitrov holds. A massive few games coming up for the home hope here, and the crowd are rallying behind him. They know.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 2-3 Kyrgios*
Don’t go anywhere yet! A loose game from Dimitrov - there hasn’t been many of them tonight! - gives Kyrgios his second break of the match. The Aussie is zoning in now, and if he can keep his service games moving quickly, he'll pile the pressure on the Bulgarian.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) 2-1 Kyrgios*
We're on serve early in the third set, but much of the debate is around footfaults as Kyrgios is again called up for rocking his back leg across the centre mark. The Aussie seems pretty confused, telling umpire Carlos Ramos that he hasn't been called for a footfault in years. "It's not possible!"
The baseline cam replays flashing up won't shine a light because you can't see this type of footfault from that angle.
2 hours ago
Grigor Dimitrov Round 4 AO2018
REACHING FOR GREATNESS - Dimitrov has found his form
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 7-6(4) Kyrgios
Kyrgios plays two stunning points to go from 2-4 to 4-4. You have to admire his bravery - he steps in to whack back-to-back winners and it’s back on serve. Dimitrov flashes a look of disbelief at his box, but he’s fist-pumping again moments later after dancing around a forehand and whipping it down-the-line for a winner. A big serve gives him two set points, and then his magical reactions kick in. Kyrgios fizzes a rocket of a return at him and he picks the ball up beautifully, teasing an error from the Aussie.
Dimitrov has never lost a match from two sets to love up, and he won't want to start now.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov leads 4-2 as they round the net post. He sealed the mini-break in the fourth point, coming out on top of an 18-shot rally.
Lots of pressure on Kyrgios now. As he strolls to the back of the court, words of encouragement ring down from the Rod Laver bleachers.
2 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 6-6 Kyrgios
Dimitrov holds comfortably, but there was an interesting moment in that game at 30-0. Kyrgios channeled his inner-Federer, rushing in to return the second serve, blocking it back at Dimitrov and the Bulgarian has no time to react, netting the response. With Dimitrov struggling on the second serve, a play like that may plant a few more seeds of doubt.
The world No.3 flicks a neat backhand winner down-the-line to force a breaker, receiving compliments from Kyrgios as he does.
3 hours ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 5-6 Kyrgios
Wow. Moments after Dimitrov has a set point, Kyrgios brings up a first break point of the match and converts to level this intriguing match at 5-5. Dimitrov didn’t help himself, with a double fault and a poor backhand earlier in the game.
Kyrgios then races through his service game, flipping this set right on its head. Fasten those seatbelts!
3 hours ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 5-4 Kyrgios
Kyrgios holds, but it wasn’t without a touch of drama. At 30-0 on second serve, the linesperson at the back of the court calls foot fault and that gives the point to Dimitrov. Now, you don’t see that very often, but as Jim Courier points out on Channel 7, Kyrgios’ rightfoot placement often crosses over the centre mark on the baseline, and it did that time. So it was a correct call, if slightly harsh timing.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios' new racquet arrives but he leaves it courtside, still in its wrapper. Dimitrov will serve for a two-set lead.
3 hours ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 4-3 Kyrgios
It’s advantage Dimitrov in the second. At 15-15, he absorbs Kyrgios’ pace brilliantly before digging up a shot and sending it over the Aussie’s head. Is a tweener coming? Yes it is. And it’s a lob tweener, but Dimitrov climbs into the air to slap it away. That’s 15-30 and suddenly Dimitrov has two break points. He only needs one, as Kyrgios opts for a casual approach, steering the volley long.
That's the first game the returner has come out on top.
3 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 3-3 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios crawls all over a Dimtriov second serve to slap a return winner and that brings up 30-30. The crowd respond with noise, and could this be the Aussie’s chance? Dimitrov works his way into the net and Kyrgios bends a delicious forehand around him. Linesperson thinks it’s in, umpire overrules, Kyrgios challenges and… it’s out! Just. Game point Dimitrov and he gets the business done.
3 hours ago
Nick Kyrgios Round 4 AO2018
BEING STRETCHED - Dimitrov is making Kyrgios work
3 hours ago
Dimitrov 7-6(3) 2-2 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios sets the tone at the start of the game with two backhand passing shots. The way he pulls back the racquet and bunts that ball is unique yet so effective. Dimitrov’s best form of defence right now is attack, and he comes at Kyrgios to win three points on the trot. The first game point comes and goes, as does another when his double fault issues return, but he stays tough, closing with an ace.
3 hours ago
*Dimitrov 7-6(3) 1-2 Kyrgios
This is a different Dimitrov to the one we saw in the opening three matches. The mind isn’t wandering, the head isn’t rolling back. He has dialled the intensity up to 100 and it’s making the difference right now.
String tension update: Kyrgios' racquet is being sent to the stringer via his physio.
3 hours ago
“IT WAS A CONFIDENT SET BY GRIGOR. THE WAY HE HAS SCRAPED THROUGH SOME OF HIS MATCHES HERE, HE NEEDED THAT FIRST SET. HE HAD DOUBTS ABOUT HIS SERVE COMING IN, BUT HE FOUND HIS RHYTHM.”
- Lleyton Hewitt on Channel 7
3 hours ago
Grigor Dimitrov Round 4 AO2018
RAGING BUL - Dimitrov is impressing
Dimitrov 7-6(3) Kyrgios
Dimitrov is making hay with his crosscourt forehand tonight and another dipping effort in-behind Kyrgios leaves the Aussie stranded. That brings up set point and Kyrgios throws in a double fault.
A riveting opening set, with little to separate the players, but you have to wonder about Kyrgios' string tension grievances and whether that’s effecting his focus. He’s still directing comments at his team.
Still, that was an excellent opening set from Dimitrov.
3 hours ago
We're into an inevitable tie-break, and now things get interesting. Kyrgios has an excellent record in breakers at Melbourne Park - I want to say it's about 13-3, but maybe don't quote me on that
3 hours ago
Dimitrov 6-5 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios gets a look at deuce on the Dimitrov serve and a gruelling rally breaks out. The Aussie, however, gets a touch passive and the world No.3 steps in, cracking a forehand in behind Kyrgios to draw the error. Dimitrov holds and as the players walk to their chairs, Kyrgios is still muttering about his string tension.
“All day to figure it out,” he told his box earlier in the game. He needs to let that go, and fast.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov 5-4 Kyrgios*
Dimitrov and Kyrgios race through two service games at a speed even former F1 driver Mark Webber, who is sitting courtside, would be proud of.
Dimitrov has won the first set in all three of the pair’s previous meetings, including two weeks ago when they met in Brisbane. On that occasion, Kyrgios fought back to win, of course.
As Kyrgios sits in his chair, looking confused at his bag, he shouts to his team: "which one's the 54, which one's the 55!?" I'm guessing the tensions haven't been properly marked and he's shaking his head.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov 4-3 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios is such a good break-point-down player. It’s almost Sampras-esque the way he can bulldoze his way out of trouble, and he’s just fended off three break points with some exquisite tennis - the most impressive coming on the third when he bended an inside-out forehand past Dimitrov from such a low angle. How he managed to get the ball up and down that quickly.
The Bulgarian follows with a comfortable hold, and it's looking good for him so far.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov 3-2 Kyrgios*
Both players exchange comfortable holds.
Kyrgios warmed up for one of the biggest matches of his career by hitting with a young girl called Bella at Melbourne Park. Bella was diagnosed with leukaemia two and half years ago and suffered a relapse last year. She’s a big Kyrgios fan, so the Aussie invited her to Melbourne Park to be a part of his big day. It was a classy move, and must put things into perspective for Kyrgios.
The Aussie No.1 is looking loose early doors, smoking the ball off his forehand wing. Dimitrov has started much the same, connecting with some tidy one-handed backhands, which are always a sight to behold.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov 2-1 Kyrgios*
Kyrgios rattles through his opening service game with little fuss, and those two words sum up the Aussie’s start to this season. It’s been high on quality, low on drama, a combination he’s striving for this year.
Dimitrov hits back with a hold of his own, ending up on Kyrgios’ side of the court after slamming away a forehand winner on game point.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov 1-0 Kyrgios*
Well, if you weren’t excited before this match you will be after that tasty opening game. Dimitrov opens up a 40-0 lead on his own serve but a barrage of forehands from Kyrgios - the whip on that groundstroke is something else! - levels the game at deuce. The Bulgarian works his way to a hold, but one think he’ll need to be wary of is that second serve. He has hit 31 double faults this week, more than he has aces, and he already has two on the board tonight.
4 hours ago
Dimitrov v Kyrgios. It's almost time.
Grigor Dimitrov v Nick Kyrgios: the most anticipated men's match at a Grand Slam not featuring a member of the big four since _____________. Get your suggestions in using #AOBlog on Twitter.
Two of the game’s finest shotmakers with very realistic chances of clinching a first Grand Slam title this month. It’s the type of contest that gets people up in the middle of the night.
I'll be back shortly with minute-by-minute updates. Get comfortable, folks.
Coin Toss Episode 7: Kyrgios v Dimitrov
Video 20 Jan 18
5 hours ago
Edmund reaches first Grand Slam quarterfinal
Kyle Edmund won’t forget the 2018 Australian Open in a hurry. His magical run extends into a second week as he becomes the first man from Britain not named Andy Murray to reach the Australian Open quarterfinal since John Lloyd in 1985, outlasting Andreas Seppi 6-7(4) 7-5 6-2 6-3.
He looks almost stunned the moment he clinches victory, but once the hand-shake formalities are out of the way he takes a run and jump. He lands in the last eight, where he’ll take on the winner of Grigor Dimitrov and Nick Kyrgios, who meet tonight.
5 hours ago
Rafael Nadal, Men's Singles, Australian Open
FOUR DOWN - Nadal's confidence is growing
Nadal tested by Schwartzman
That final dramatic game was the match in a microcosm. Nadal surged ahead, Schwartzman provided some momenets of magic, saving two match points with outrageous winners, but in the end the Spaniard wrestled back control, closing out a 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 6-3 win in a whopping three hours and 51 minutes. It was the Spaniard’s first real test, you may say, and he past.
That puts Nadal into a TENTH Australian Open quarterfinal and a 33rd overall. There he'll meet Marin Cilic in what will be his first Top 25 opponent at a Grand Slam since the Roland Garros final when he met Stan Wawrinka.
“IN GENERAL TERMS, IT WAS A GREAT BATTLE. ONE MATCH LIKE THIS PROBABLY HELPS. IT’S CONFIDENCE FOR ME THAT I CAN PLAY ALMOST FOUR HOURS ON COURT AT A GOOD INTENSITY.”
- Nadal finding the positives after lengthy battle
5 hours ago
Edmund 6-7(4) 7-5 6-2 1-0 Seppi*
You have to commend Edmund’s effort here, and Seppi’s too to be fair. Both contested gruelling five-set matches in the previous round but they have come to play today and that set was pretty high quality. They combined to hit just 11 unforced errors between them, but the Brit packs a punch that the Italian is lacking, and he takes the set behind 13 winners.
He’s one set from a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final.
6 hours ago
Mertens breaking new ground
Elise Mertens’ stunning Aussie summer continues. On her Australian Open main draw debut, she is into a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time, beating Petra Martic 7-6(5) 7-5.
“Aussie” Kim Clijsters is smiling somewhere, I imagine. Mertens, who defended her title in Hobart last week, train’s at Clijsters’ academy and her first memory of the sport she has now mastered is of watching the great Belgian play.
She'll take on the winner of Denisa Allertova and Elina Svitolina for a spot in the final four.
6 hours ago
Nadal 6-3 6-7(4) 6-3 1-1 Schwartzman*
Think Schwartzman is going to roll over now that he’s two sets to one down against the world No.1? Think again. He gets a look at FIVE break points in a game that lasted 13 minutes and 18 seconds but he can’t convert, and Nadal holds.
A big game coming up here, because if Nadal can land a blow after that near-miss, that may just be that.
6 hours ago
*Martic 6-7(5) 5-5 Mertens
Wow. They’re still going on MCA, somehow. In a game that saw four deuces, a match point and two Hawk-Eye challenges - one correct, one not - Martic breaks to level the second-set 5-5, and is that a sneaky smile I see spread across her face?
Mertens, who has no challenges remaining, may need to forget that quickly.
6 hours ago
Edmund 6-7(4) 7-5 Seppi
Edmund is shaking his fist in the air. He has the second set in the bag - from a break down too! - and it’s easy to see why. He has shut up shop since the first set, hitting 17 fewer unforced errors.
Somewhat surprisingly, it’s the Briton and not the solid Italian thriving in the longer rallies. He’s won 11 of the 16 points that have gone 9+ shots.
Plenty of tennis left in this one.
6 hours ago
TALE OF THE TAPE - Nadal is pulling away
*Nadal 6-3 6-7(4) 5-2 Schwartzman
Nadal really beginning to flex those (sleevless) muscles now, and he's storming through this third set. Well, actually, I take that back. Storming isn't quite the word, this match is still moving at quite a Sunday pace - two hours and 40 minutes on the clock so far - but he's moving through it with ease.
Definitely signs that Schwartzman is starting to feel the fatigue - he's attempting to pull the trigger earlier now. Remember, he has 14 sets in his legs, as opposed to Nadal's 11.
7 hours ago
Martic 6-7(5) 1-0 Mertens*
Elise Mertens will be relieved with that. Having watched a 4-1 lead disappear, she rediscovered her mojo to take a tight opening set. Petra Martic opted for the dropshot on set point. Arguably the right play, but she got too much air on it and the in-form Belgian sprinted across the court, slamming home a forehand to put a fullstop on the opener.
Dressed in similar turquoise Lotto outfits, Mertens’ visor is all that distinguishes the two players from the back row on MCA.
7 hours ago
Diego Schwartzman Round 4 AO2018
TIP OF THE CAP - Schwartzman levels the match
Nadal 6-3 6-7(4) Schwartzman
Now then, who saw this coming? No one? Me neither.
Schwartzman broke Nadal's serve to force a tie-break, and then broke down the Spaniard to level this intriguing encounter at one-set all. The Argentine is a deceiving player. Standing at 5'7", he really packs a punch. As Jim Courier pointed out on Channel 7, his height only really effects him when it comes to reach, because he's going toe-to-toe with Nadal for KPH on both the serve and off the ground.
That's the first set Nadal has dropped this week. Will he drop some more? Get involved using #AOBlog on Twitter.
7 hours ago
Edmund 6-7(4) Seppi
It's advantage to Seppi on Hisense, and in the scheme of how the first set played out, it's probably a fair reflection. The veteran Italian failed to convert on five break point opportunites, but protected his own serve with ease, and by the time the tie-break came along he pulled away.
Edmund is playing some big tennis, but it's all a bit scattergun right now. 23 unforced errors were his undoing, with Seppi miscuing just five shots during the set.
7 hours ago
There have been six breaks of serve in a topsy-turvy second set between Nadal and Schwartzman, with the Spaniard failing to serve out the set. They’re headed into a tie-break.
Speaking of tie-breaks, all three show courts are currently locked in them, with Martic and Mertens *and* Edmund and Seppi needing a breaker to decide their first sets. Lets drop into Hisense and see how that one is going…
8 hours ago
Three courts, three bumper matches
As Nadal and Schwartzman exchange breaks to open the second set, let’s take a look at what’s coming up.
Currently warming up on MCA it’s Petra Martic and Elise Mertens, who have both played some fabulous tennis this week, and over the course of the past 12 months. This time last year, Martic was ranked No.264 and Mertens No.127. Now, they sit at No.81 and No.37 respectively, making them two of the biggest movers in the women’s game. Both are looking to reach a major quarterfinal for the first time.
Out on Hisense, Kyle Edmund and Andreas Seppi are also both bidding to reach a major quarterfinal. Remarkably, Edmund is looking to become the first British man not named Andy Murray to reach the last eight at the Australian Open since John Lloyd in 1985. For Seppi, he’s looking to breakthrough for the first time in his 13th appearance in Melbourne. Only Fabrice Santoro took longer, making 14th visits before reaching the quarterfinal.
8 hours ago
100 not out for Cilic
While Nadal places a toe in the quarterfinal, Marin Cilic dives right in, beating Pablo Carreno Busta 6-7(2) 6-3 7-6(0) 7-6(3) to clinch his 100th Grand Slam match win.
Cilic is playing some excellent front-foot tennis, and despite a few mental blips along the way - he let slip three set points in the first - that was a pretty excellent win. He smacked down 73 winners, the majority of which came off the forehand wing, and got to net 45 times, winning 37 of those points.
As usual, the Croat moves quietly on with minimal fuss, but with the possibility of a clash with Nadal in the next round, all eyes may soon be on him. Will he deliver?
8 hours ago
Nadal 6-3 Schwartzman
I feel like we’ve seen this movie before, but it never gets old does it? Rafael Nadal with a very Rafael Nadal-like performance in the opening set. Down 0-40 on his own serve at 3-3, he puts on the blinkers and reels Schwarztman back in, lighting up the game with an overhead backhand winner, to hold.
He survives and then pounces, breaking the Schwartzman serve in a game that featured four deuces before holding for the set.
8 hours ago
Meanwhile, out on Hisense, Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth are in the Australian Open quarterfinal in unfortunate circumstances after Albert Ramos-Viñolas and Pablo Andujar were forced to withdraw when the former pulled up injured.
That puts Hewitt into his first major doubles quarterfinal since he won the US Open with Max Mirnyi in 2000. For Groth, it's a bit more recent - he advanced to the last eight here in 2017 with Chris Guccione.
8 hours ago
Rafael Nadal blog
DIEGO V GOLIATH - Nadal comes in as the favourite
Nadal 3-2 Schwartzman*
Diego Schwartzman is looking to join a list of Argentine greats today. Only Guillermo Vilas, David Nalbandian and Juan Martin del Potro before him have reached the Australian Open quarterfinals, but he has a mountain to climb if he wants to achieve the feat, and that mountain is Everest.
Rafael Nadal has steamrolled his way through the opposition so far, and goes into today’s match boasting a 3-0 record over the world No.26. Schwartzman will make Nadal play *a lot* of balls, but if he's to cause an upset he'll need to bring the game to the world No.1, stepping in when the opportunities arise.
9 hours ago
Everyone can pack up and go home. Mark Philippoussis has won the 2018 Australian Open.
CPA Australia Shot of the Day: Mark Philippoussis winds back the clock
Video 11 hours ago
9 hours ago
Carreno Busta 7-6(2) 3-6 6-7(0) Cilic
Super mental resilience from Cilic to rally after letting slip that first set. Carreno Busta served for the third set, but couldn’t convert, and from 5-6, 40-40 the former US Open champion reeled off nine straight points to open up a two set to one lead.
He'll need to mind his first-serve percentage in the fourth, however. It dipped to 56 per cent in that set, and that may just give Carreno Busta some hope on return.
9 hours ago
Caroline Wozniacki blog
IN FULL FLIGHT - There's no stopping Wozniacki
Solid Wozniacki too good for Rybarikova
It’s a miserly performance from Caroline Wozniacki, who gave Magdalena Rybarikova absolutely nothing to work with in a 6-3 6-0 win. The Dane is into the Australian Open quarterfinal for the third time, and her confidence is growing with each passing round. She may be known for her consistency, but Wozniacki hit 25 winners today, 10 more than her opponent - she's moving the ball around beautifully and picking her moments to perfection.
Wozniacki won the most matches on the WTA in 2017, ending the year with the biggest title of her career in Singapore, and now her sights are set on a first Grand Slam crown. Next up: Carla Suarez Navarro.
“IT ACTUALLY WENT IN. IF I MAY SO, I WAS PRETTY PROUD OF MYSELF! I’VE MADE A FEW IN PRACTICE, BUT NEVER IN A MATCH. WHEN THAT WENT IN, I WAS LIKE, I AM DONE.”
- Wozniacki on *that* tweener
10 hours ago
Rybarikova 3-6 Wozniacki
Wozniacki takes a very impressive opening set 6-3 behind some clean tennis. The contrast in styles is superb to watch, but the Dane has done a great job staying focused and hitting her targets, putting 14 winners past the Slovak, while coughing up just six unforced errors.
More of the same in the second set as far as Wozniacki's concerned. For Rybarikova, she needs to keep the world No.2 out of her comfort zone with the wonderful array of shots in her repertoire.
10 hours ago
Carreno Busta 7-6(2) 3-6 3-1 Cilic*
Marin Cilic is often overlooked when it comes to title-contender chat, but he is one of the few who has proven history of going deep at the majors, winning the US Open title and reaching the Wimbledon final just last July. On top of that, he has also made TEN appearances in major quarterfinals.
That experience will come in handy today, with Pablo Carreno Busta really putting it up to the Croat. After dropping the opener despite holding three set points, he brushed off the disappointment to battle back and take the second. He’s just been knocked to the canvas again early in the third, going down an early break to the Spaniard.
10 hours ago
Rybarikova 2-2 Wozniacki*
Rybarikova has the gamestyle to disrupt Wozniacki’s rhythm today, and there are already signs of that with the Slovak throwing in a few early slices and attacking the net on short balls - she’s been up there eight times in the opening four games. The Dane, according to Channel 7, is hitting her groundstrokes on average 5kph faster than she did last year, which is pretty considerable. She'll need plenty of pace and depth on her ball today to keep Rybarikova pinned back.
Meanwhile...
10 hours ago
BACK TO IT - Wozniacki is ready for battle
Coming up: Wozniacki v Rybarikova
Caroline Wozniacki said she’s playing on house money after saving two match points in her second round win. Will she make it pay? Angelique Kerber certainly did in 2016 when she fended off a match point in her opening match before clinching a maiden Grand Slam title. Feeling a little looser, playing a little braver - having flirted with the edge can sometimes help.
Standing between the Dane and the quarterfinal is Magdalena Rybarikova, who won the pair’s first meeting in 2009 but has dropped the three since. Rybarikova can be dangerous. She proved that in her remarkable run to the Wimbledon semifinal.
After a brief delay to the start of the match due to a smattering of rain, we're under way on RLA.
10 hours ago
Carreno Busta back from brink in first set
Pablo Carreno Busta, playing in the round of 16 here for the first time, steals the opening set from Marin Cilic, clawing in the Croatian from 2-5 down, saving two set points at 3-5 and another at 5-6, before dominating in the tie-break.
Cilic will need to forget that in a hurry if he’s to mount a comeback. He’s bidding for a 100th Grand Slam match win today.
11 hours ago
VINTAGE CAR - Suarez Navarro is rediscovering her form
Suarez Navarro back in the AO quarterfinals
Comeback complete! Carla Suarez Navarro books her place in a third Australian Open quarterfinal after beating Anett Kontaveit 4-6 6-4 8-6, matching her best-ever run at the majors - it's the sixth QF of her career, and third at Melbourne Park.
The Spaniard looked dead and buried as Kontaviet opened up a 6-4 4-1 lead - the Estonian even held points for a 5-3 lead in the second and broke for a 5-4 lead in the third. But Suarez Navarro stayed steady, keeping the error count to a respectable 28 compared to Kontaveit's 53 and hitting 10 of her 19 winners in the decider.
"Was tough today - she started really good, I always have to fight until the end," said Suarez Navarro, who now awaits the winner of No.2 seed Caroline Wozniacki's fourth-rounder against Magdalena Rybarikova. "I tried to play my game all the time - sometimes it's not really good because I played against an opponent who also played good - so just run and run, for two hours 15."
"I STARTED TO PLAY TENNIS WHEN I WAS NINE, 10 YEARS OLD, AND IT WAS NATURAL. FROM THE FIRST TIME I PICK UP A RACQUET I PLAYED A ONE HANDED BACKHAND - IT LOOKS EASY, BUT IT'S NOT EASY!"
- Carla Suarez Navarro on her one-handed backhand
11 hours ago
Kontaveit dazzles, but Suarez Navarro stays alive
The match was on a knife-edge - one set all, 4-4 in the third, and for the fifth time deuce. Anett Kontaveit had halted Carla Suarez Navarro's second-set surge, going toe-to-toe in the decider as both women saved break points. The Spaniard had recovered one in the ninth game already, but was powerless to prevent Kontaveit from bringing up a second with an untouchable backhand return.
Then came the breakthrough, and in some style. Suarez Navarro has been working her angled forehand to great effect since the second set, but Kontaveit was ready for it this time and ran out beyond the tramlines to crack an all-or-nothing forehand that flashed past the Spaniard to break and leave her serving for the match...
But it's not to be! All that good work undone in a loose service game, and we're back level at 5-5 in the third on Laver.
12 hours ago
Suarez Navarro storms back
Well, well, well - we sure have a match on our hands here. Carla Suarez Navarro looked set to pack her bag and disappear beneath Rod Laver Arena just 10 minutes ago as Anett Kontaveit served for a 6-4 5-1 lead; instead, the Spaniard turned the second set on its head with a five-game surge, breaking the Estonian three times to take the second 6-4 - as much a tale of Suarez Navarro finding her spots as Kontaveit big weapons starting to misfire.
Can the Estonian wrestle back the momentum? We'll find out soon enough...
Follow the action point-by-point on AO Radio
12 hours ago
Kontaveit clinches the opener
Back on RLA, Anett Kontaveit has carried the momentum of her third-round victory over No.7 seed Jelena Ostapenko into the showdown with Carla Suarez Navarro. The Estonian is a set closer to her first Grand Slam quarterfinal after taking the opening set 6-4, firing 22 winners past the Spaniard in the first 42 minutes of the match.
13 hours ago
Tearful Rodionova retires from doubles
We've got just the one singles match in action right now at Melbourne Park, with Anett Kontaveit in good shape up a break against CArla Suarez Navarro on Rod Laver Arena.
But play has come to a premature end on MCA, where Anastasia Rodionova and Nadiia Kichenok have been forced to concede their women's doubles third-round showdown with No.10 seeds Irina-Camelia Begu and Monica Niculescu after Aussie Rodionova pulled up with a calf injury while serving at 1-4. The trainer was straight on to offer treatment with Rodionova in a lot of pain, but having returned for just two points after the MTO she simply could not continue.
There will be a bit of a delay until the next match of the day on MCA: Marin Cilic will face Pablo Carreno Busta at 12:30pm AEDT.
13 hours ago
About that Australian...
Yep, there's still one player flying the Aussie flag at Melbourne Park: Nick Kyrgios. Having beaten childhood idol Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the third round, the nation's No.1 faces last year's semifinalist and No.3 seed Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the last eight in the primetime Sunday night slot: first up on Rod Laver Arena.
It's a repeat of the Brisbane International semifinal of two weeks ago, and how Kyrgios would want to replicate the sterling display that propelled him toward his first title on home soil. But five-set tennis in the pressure-cooker environment of a Grand Slam tournament is a different beast. One that Kyrgios is ready to tame? We'll find out from 7:00pm AEDT.
You can find the Day 7 schedule in full here
Preview: Nick Kyrgios vs. Grigor Dimitrov
Video 20 Jan 18
13 hours ago
This is why we're here
We've had marathons. We've had upsets. We've had sparkling performances, ridiculous winners, monumental efforts as the mercury closed in on 40 °C, fresh-faced surges, a few tears, and the odd smashed racket. But now, we have silverware on the line. Three rounds down and, for today's winners, three rounds to go: we're entering the business end of Australian Open 2018.
The fourth round of the singles draws begins today, with eight quarterfinal berths up for grabs. In the running on Sunday: 10 seeds, one Australian, one qualifier and one former champion. Let's get to it.
