Djokovic defies injury to reach Oz Open last eight; Osaka, Serena survive scares
MELBOURNE: Eight-time winner and reigning champion Novak Djokovic came through a tough examination of his fitness as the top seed beat Canadian powerhouse Milos Raonic 7-6(4), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 on Sunday to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Naomi Osaka and Serena Williams survived scares to go through but US Open champion Dominic Thiem was a major casualty when he fell to Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov.
Second seed Simona Halep survived an early wobble to beat Iga Swiatek 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 as the Romanian avenged her shock defeat by the Polish teenager at the same stage of last year’s French Open.
German sixth seed Alexander Zverev used his powerful serve to good effect to overcome 23rd seed Dusan Lajovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-3 to advance.
Djokovic had raised the alarm over an abdominal injury ater his five-set batle with Taylor Fritz, but he showed few outward signs in his win.
However, the 17-time Grand Slam winner said he had spent “every single hour” since Friday’s win trying to recover, and wasn’t sure he would play until he warmed up before the match.
The defending champion will next meet German sixth seed Alexander Zverev as he seeks his first Grand Slam title.
Earlier, Japan’s Osaka edged a thriller with fellow major-winner Garbine Muguruza, and Serena came through a physical test against Aryna Sabalenka to maintain her bid for a record-equalling 24th Grand Slam title.
OSAKA, SERENA FIGHT ON: 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 ratled off four points in a row and then twice broke Muguruza’s serve to prevail 4-6, 6-4, 7-5.
Osaka now faces an all-asian quarter-final with Hsieh, who beat Marketa Vondrousova 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first Slam quarter-final in 16 years of trying.
Serena, 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.
But a fatigued-looking Thiem, coming off a five-set win over
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios, slumped in straight sets to 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 quarterfinal with surprise package Aslan Karatsev, who is into the last eight on his Grand Slam debut.
Karatsev beat Felix Auger-aliassime in five sets to become the first player in 25 years to reach the quarter-finals on his Grand Slam debut.
The 27-year-old, a virtual unknown before the tournament started, batled back from two sets down to upset the Canadian 3-6, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3, 6-4.
A jubilant eyes replicating the ‘best day of my life’ in a blockbuster quarter-final with Serena. Halep was aggressive early, but 15th seed Swiatek showed remarkable defensive skills, thwarting the atacks with sliding retrievals to claim her 21st consecutive set in a Grand Slam.
But Romania’s Halep lited her intensity and relentlessly hit the lines to force a ragged Swiatek into errors and clinch her 100th Grand Slam victory.
Halep now faces 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena, who she memorably beat 6-2, 6-2 in the 2019 Wimbledon final.
Halep conceded she would have to almost replicate that near-flawless performance to once again halt Serena’s march towards history.