Leander, Raja crash out in straight sets
MEN’S SINGLES
Top seed beats Argentine challenger in four sets
Top seed Rafael Nadal was rattled by a feisty challenge from Diego Schwartzman but held firm to fend off the diminutive Argentine 6-3, 6-7(4), 6-3, 6-3 and reach his 10th Australian Open quarter-final.
In an often breathtaking clash laden with sumptuous shot-making, the Spaniard was rocked by the hard-hitting Schwartzman who broke him three times to claim the second set at Rod Laver Arena.
But the 16-times grand slam champion responded with typical grit, bolstering his defence to blanket the 24th seed’s firepower and counter-punching brilliantly to book a match with Croatia’s Marin Cilic.
After three cakewalks in the previous rounds, the three-hour 51-minute work-out was timely, said Nadal, who came into the tournament with some queries over a knee injury.
“You can’t expect easy matches when you’re playing in big tournaments,” the world number one told reporters after saving all his seven break points in the final set. “It’s always better winning in two hours than in four. But that’s it. It was a good test for me. It was a lot of hours on court. Moments under pressure.
“A lot of positive things that I managed well. But being honest, too, moments like this helps to be more confident in yourself, in your body.”
The victory ensured Nadal, who lost a five-set classic to longtime rival Roger Federer in the final last year, will retain his world number one ranking.
RUTHLESS WOZNIACKI, CILIC ENTER QUARTERS
Ruthless Caroline Wozniacki kicked into full gear Sunday to storm into the Australian Open quarter-finals with workmanlike Marin Cilic joining her after winning his 100th Grand Slam match. On an overcast and muggy day at Melbourne Park, the world number two Dane turned on the style to take another step towards a maiden Grand Slam title.
The assured Wozniacki, a Rafael Nadal (ESPX1) bt Diego Schwartzman (ARGX24) 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3.
Marin Cilic (CROX6) bt Pablo Carreno-Busta (ESPX10) 6-7 (2), 6-3, 7-6 (0), 7-6 (3). Grigor Dimitrov (BULX3) bt Nick Kyrgios (AUSX17) 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4).
Kyle Edmund (GBR) bt Andreas Seppi (ITA) 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.
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Veteran Leander Paes, 44, and Purav Raja suffered a straight-set defeat at the hands of the Colombian pair of Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah in the pre-quarterfinals to bow out of the Australian Open here. The unseeded Indians were beaten 1-6, 2-6 by their 11th seeded opponents in a contest that lasted one hour and nine minutes at the Melbourne Park.
Paes and Raja failed to capitalise on any one of the five break points -- two in the first set and three in the second -- they got in the match while the Cabal-Farah duo converted four out the 10 they had. The Colombian duo broke the Indians twice in both the sets to easily grab the match and make it to the quarterfinals.
The Indians had shocked fifth seeds Bruno Soares and Jamie Murray in second round but their game were not up to the mark.
Paes and Raja, who won two Challenger level titles to close the 2017 season, were playing in their second Grand Slam together. At the 2017 US Open, they fell in the second round. Paes has not featured in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event for more than a year. The last time Paes played a quarterfinal at a Grand Slam was in 2016 at French Open where he and Marcin Matkowski had lost to Bryan brothers.
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