THIEM SHOCKED AS OSAKA, SERENA ENTER LAST 8 OF AUSTRALIAN OPEN
MELBOURNE: US Open champion Dominic Thiem became the first major men’s casualty of the Australian Open on Sunday, as Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams survived scares to reach the quarter-finals. A fatigued-looking Thiem, coming off a five-set win over Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, slumped in straight sets to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov who took it 6-4, 6-4, 6-0 in just over two hours. Dimitrov’s victory against Thiem, the third seed and last year’s runner-up, sets up a quarter-final with surprise package Aslan Karatsev, who is into the last eight on his Grand Slam debut.
“Whether it’s a fairytale or not, it’s a match and you’ve got to be ready,” Bulgaria’s Dimitrov said of the unheralded Russian.
“I’ve seen a little bit of his matches, clearly he’s a dangerous player.”
Earlier, Japan’s Osaka edged a thriller with fellow major-winner Garbine Muguruza and Williams came through a physical test against Aryna Sabalenka to maintain her bid for a recordequalling 24th Grand Slam title.
Karatsev beat Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei, 35, reached the last eight for the first time after 16 years of trying.
In an empty Rod Laver Arena, with fans barred on the second day of a five-day, state-wide coronavirus lockdown, Osaka was on the verge of elimination at 3-5, 15-40 on her serve in the third set.
But the three-time major champion rattled off four points in a row and then twice broke Muguruza’s serve to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
“I felt like I was intimidated because she was playing so well,” said Osaka, after her first meeting with last year’s beaten finalist.
“On the stressful points, I had to play within myself.”
Williams, 39, was also meeting Sabalenka for the first time and she had to weather an onslaught from the Belarusian to reach the last eight 6-4, 2-6, 6-4.