Williams, Djokovic on charge
Seven-time champion Serena Williams has continued her powerhouse start to the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-1 thirdround demolition job on Ukrainian teenager Dayana Yastremska.
Now things are set to get a whole lot tougher.
Having dropped a miserly nine games in her first three victories against Tatjana Maria, Eugenie Bouchard and Yastremska, Williams will play either older sister Venus or world No 1 Simona Halep in the round of 16 tomorrow.
‘‘You’ve just got to play each match as it comes,’’ said Williams, after needing just 67 minutes yesterday to end the challenge of Yastremska.
Were she to go on and win the tournament, the 37-year-old Williams would equal legendary Australian Margaret Court’s all-time record of 24 women’s grand slam titles.
In the men’s draw, Novak Djokovic ensured he will remain at the top of the world rankings after the Australian Open with a four-set win over young Canadian Denis Shapovalov.
Rafael Nadal could have taken top spot if he won the tournament and Djokovic lost before the round of 16. But despite a third-set blip, the Serbian overcame the 19-year-old 25th-seed 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-0 on Rod Laver Arena.
It continued Djokovic’s run of 17 grand slam victories, including the Wimbledon and US Open titles, and kept him on track for a record seventh Australian Open crown.
‘‘I tried to stay in the moment and weather the storm,’’ Djokovic said.
‘‘I made some unforced errors and got him back in the match and then he showed the quality that will make him a player of the future.’’
The top seed next takes on Russian Daniil Medvedev, who earlier accounted for Belgian David Goffin in straight sets. Earlier in the day, Japan’s No 4 seed Naomi Osaka, who beat Williams in the controversial final of last year’s US Open, had a much tougher time at Melbourne Park before finding a way past Su-Wei Hsieh, from Taiwan, 5-7 6-4 6-1. Her opponent in the round of 16 will be Latvian No 13 seed Anastasija Sevastova, who beat China’s Wang Qiang 6-3 6-3.
The world No 4 trailed a set and 4-1 before rallying to beat the crafty 28thseed, 5-7 6-4 6-1, in the third round.
Osaka struggled early against the slice and off-pace shots of Hsieh.
The 21-year-old made 20 unforced errors in the first set and found herself down a break in the second and staring down the barrel of a first-week exit.
But Osaka clicked into gear, reeling off 11 of the last 12 games to make the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the second straight year.
‘‘I just thought I didn’t want to give up. I really love grand slams. Anything that I can do to stay here a bit longer I try to do,’’ she said.
Osaka rose from world No 68 to No 5 in 2018, winning her maiden WTA title at Indian Wells before US Open success in September.
No 6 seed Elina Svitolina from Ukraine came back from a set and 4-1 down to end the challenge of China’s Zhang Shuai, 4-6 6-4 7-5.
Svitolina had a medical time-out and several courtside massages for a shoulder complaint during the marathon match on a hot Rod Laver Arena.