Venus Williams enters Oz Open quarterfinals
Melbourne, Jan. 26: Dominant Novak Djokovic swept into the Australian Open last eight on Monday as the Williams sisters displayed fighting qualities to stay alive, but the tournament ended for two-time champion Victoria Azarenka.
The Serbian top seed was always in charge against unseeded Gilles Muller from Luxembourg, dictating terms in a testing 6-4, 75, 7-5 work-out to reach his eighth consecutive quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
He will now play big-serving Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic as he bids for a fifth Australian crown and an eighth Grand Slam title. Raonic snuffed out the challenge of Spanish 12th seed Feliciano Lopez in five tough sets. The Canadian won 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3.
Fellow World No.1 Serena Williams battled back from a set down in a tense match against Spain’s Garbine Muguruza to win 2-6, 6-3, 62, staying on track for a 19th Grand Slam title and her sixth at Melbourne. She will next face last year’s finalist Dominika Cibulkova, the 11th seeded Slovak, who ended the comeback from injury of Azarenka in three tight sets. Elder sister Venus’ late-career renaissance gathered pace as she rolled back the years to thump Polish sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. She is now 9-0 for the season after winning the Auckland Classic.
It is the 34-year-old seventime Grand Slam champion’s first major quarter since the 2010 US Open, having been diagnosed with the energy-sapping Sjogren’s Syndrome in 2011.
Defending champion Stan Wawrinka ensured his passage by winning a thrilling fourth-set tiebreaker to down Spain’s tenacious Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8).
He now plays Japanese superstar Kei Nishikori, who was a class above dogged Spanish baseliner David Ferrer, easing through 6-3, 6-3, 6-3.
Former Australian champion Lindsay Davenport’s protege Madison Keys made her first Grand Slam quarter-final, winning an all-American clash with Madison Brengle 6-2, 6-4.
The unseeded world number 35, just 19, has long been touted as the rising star of American tennis and will next play Venus Williams, the 18th seed. . Cibulkova went into her match as an underdog against Azarenka, who had beaten her seven times in their nine previous meetings. Despite her disappointment Azarenka was content with what she had achieved so far on the comeback trail, including a defeat of eighth seed Caroline Wozniacki in round two. SANIA, PAES IN MIXED DOUBLES QUARTERS Sania Mirza and Leander Paes carved out contrasting wins with their respective partners to reach the mixed
RESULTS Men’s singles 4th round: Stan Wawrinka (SUI x4) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP) 7-6 (7/2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6 (10/8); Kei Nishikori (JPN x5) bt David Ferrer (ESP x9) 6-3, 63, 6-3; Milos Raonic (CAN x8) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP x12) 6-4, 46, 6-3, 6-7 (7/9), 6-3; Novak Djokovic (SRB x1) bt Gilles Muller (LUX) 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 Women’s singles 4th round: Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x11) bt Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-3; Serena Williams (USA x1) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x24) 26, 6-3, 6-2; Madison Keys (USA) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-2, 6-4; Venus Williams (USA x18) bt Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x6) 63, 2-6, 6-1 doubles quarterfinals.
Top seeds Sania and her Brazilian partner Bruno Soares edged past Abigail Spears and Santiago Gonzalez 7-5, 6-7 (3), 10-8 before seventh seeds Paes and Martina Hingis outplayed Spain’s Anabel Medina Garrigues and Pablo Andujar 6-3, 6-1.
Spears and Gonzalez fought hard, but their experienced opponents handled the pressure well to seal the match in a super tie-break.
Later, Paes and Hingis were clinical against their Spanish opponents, wrapping up the contest in 51 minutes.
In the junior boys' singles, India’s Sumit Nagal humbled Yosuke Watanuki of Japan 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. — Agencies