American Keys makes a return to quarterfinals
MELBOURNE, Australia — Madison Keys has continued her strong run through the Australian Open draw, returning to the quarterfinals for the first time in three years with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Caroline Garcia on Monday.
The U.S. Open finalist has yet to drop a set at Melbourne Park and is averaging a brisk 62.5 minutes on court through her first four rounds.
Coming into the match against Garcia, she had dropped only 14 games.
Keys next will play 21stseeded Angelique Kerber, who extended her winning streak to 13 matches with a frustration-filled 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 victory over Hsieh Suwei.
Keys is seeded 17th after undergoing wrist surgery and missing several months on tour last year, but she is playing pain-free again and looking increasingly confident as the tournament goes on.
Only U.S. woman left
Keys, the only American woman to reach the fourth round, said she feels like she is playing without pressure since returning from her wrist injury.
“I definitely realize how much l love it and how much pressure I put on myself” in the past, she said. “Just being really happy to be back out here and not at home in a cast.”
Keys lost her serve in the opening game of the match against the eighthseeded Garcia but broke the Frenchwoman five times as she raced through the next two sets. She had 32 winners to nine for Garcia.
Kerber overcame Hsieh’s array of chip and drop shots off the Taiwanese player’s unorthodox two-handed grip. At times, Kerber was frustrated with the shot selection by Hsieh, who had beaten Wimbledon champion Garbine Muguruza in the second round.
Berdych advances
On the men’s side, Tomas Berdych is back in the quarterfinals for the seventh time after a 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Fabio Fognini.
Berdych has been this far at Melbourne Park in seven of the last eight years. The only time he has failed to reach at least the quarters was last year when he lost in the third round to Roger Federer.
In matches completed late Sunday, Grigor Dimitrov and Rafael Nadal won to advance to the quarterfinals.
Dimitrov reached the quarterfinals for the third time and put the last local hope out of the seasonopening major with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Nick Kyrgios.
Dimitrov will play Kyle Edmund, who reached the quarterfinals at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time with a 6-7 (4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3 victory over Andreas Seppi.
The top-seeded Nadal overcame a pesky Diego Schwartzman to beat the Argentinian 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3.
Nadal will play sixthseeded Marin Cilic as the Spaniard attempts to win his second Australian Open title and 17th Grand Slam singles championship.
Fourth-seeded Elina Svitolina started her fourthround match just before midnight local time and was finished within an hour, beating Czech qualifier Denisa Allertova 6-3, 6-0 to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. She will play Elise Mertens, who extended her winning streak to nine matches with a 7-6 (5), 7-5 victory over Petra Martic, reaching the quarterfinals in her first appearance in the Australian Open main draw.