Australian Open Federer and Serena Williams end Aussies’ hopes

Monday, 25 January 2010 00:00

Men’s Singles

World No 1 Roger Federer was at his best Monday when he beat Australia’s Lleyton Hewitt 6-2, 6-3, 6-4, in one hour 55 minutes for a place in his 23rd straight Grand Slam quarter-final.

Federer displayed his best attacking game thus far, ending the Aussie fans’ hope for a title in the round of 16. That was the Swiss superstar’s 15th straight victory over former World No 1 Hewitt and his eighth (8-0) in Grand Slam meetings.

“I hardly made any unforced errors,” said Federer. “...I served well when I had to, and I moved well as well. Overall I’m extremely happy…”

Federer will look next to snap Nikolay Davidenko’s 13-match winning streak. The Russian, after an 0-12 career start against the World No 1, beat him in their last two encounters. First in the ATP World Tour Finals in November, and at the start of the 2010 season in Doha, both times in the semi-finals.

Davidenko survived a 4-hour battle with 2009 semi-finalist Fernando Verdasco to get through the round the round of 16 in a 6-2, 7-5, 4-6, 6-7, 6-3 win over the Spaniard.

Seed No 3 Novak Djokovich beat Lukasz Kubot (POL) in straight sets 6-1, 6-2, 7-5. The Serb had by far the easiest draw on his way to the QF, and will face his first real test Tuesday against French 10-seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, always a crowd favorite.

Tsonga had to go the distance for the first time in his career, ultimately defeating Spain’s Nicolas Almagro 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 6-7, and 9-7 in his first ever 5th set, in three hours 33 minutes.

On Sunday, 5-seed Scot Andy Murray secured a spot in the QF defeating American John Isner 7-6, 6-3, 6-2. Murray is the first British man to reach the QF at the Australian Open since John Lloyd in 1985.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal overcame the 6’ 10” Croatian Ivo Karlovic’s 28 aces (to only two of his own) for a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory to set up a marquee QF showdown with Murray.

Nadal , who beat Federer last year in the final, owns a 7-2 career lead over Murray, with the first of his seven wins coming at the Australian Open in the 2007 fourth round in five sets. Murray, though, defeated Nadal on his way to the 2008 US Open final.

No 7 seed Andy Roddick was the fittest and smarter player in his contest against Fernando Gonzalez. The American showed all his composure in a thrilling 6-3, 3-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 win over the 11-seed hard-hitting Chilian. Gonzalez had a chance to win in four sets, but when Roddick broke his serve at 5-6 to level the match at 2 sets each, the Chilian rapidly faded away physically and mentally in the fifth.

World No 14 Croatia’s Marin Cilic caused the biggest casualty of the Australian so far as he defeated fourth seed and US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro in an epic match which lasted four hours and 38 minutes. 21-year-old Cilic, just five days younger than del Potro, is the youngest player left in the draw, and he took revenge in a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5, 5-7, 6-3 victory from the Argentine who beat him last year in the fourth round.

Cilic, who always looked better than his ranking shows, has the opportunity to prove he belongs with the top players as he faces Roddick in the QF. The Croatian extended his winning streak to nine matches, going into the Australian Open after defending his title at the Aircel Chennai Open in the first week of the season.

Six of the eight top seeded players reached the quarter-finals, only Swede Robin Soderling (8) and del Potro failed to make it.

WOMEN’ S SINGLES

Defending champion Serena Williams(USA) took the last Australian out of the Women’s tournament Monday, crushing 13-seed Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-2. The American is certain to retain theWorld No 1 ranking with the win, and will face 7-seed Victoria Azarenka in the QF. Azarenka won the third set 6-0 to get through the round of 16 against 9-seed Vera Zvoraneva.

China’s Na Li upset Dane 4-seed Caroline Wozniacki in a dominating performance, 6-4, 6-3. The 16-seed will meet next 6-seed Venus Williams, who recovered from a first-set loss to beat 17-seed Italian Francesca Schiavone 3-6, 6-2, 6-1.

On Sunday, World No 2 Dinara Safina retired suddenly at 4-5 in the first set against fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. Safina suffered of sharp back pain, and wasn’t even sure she could fly back home.

Kirilenko faces another unseeded player, China’s Jie Zheng who defeated 31-seed Alona Bondarenko 7-6, 6-4.

No 19-seed Nadia Petrova caused another huge upset taking out 3-seed other Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova in a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory, to face Belgium’s former World No 1 Justine Henin in the QFs.

Henin had to go the distance against fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer, finally winning 7-6, 1-6, 6-3 in a slugging contest.

The bottom of the draw is open for Henin, who is now huge favorite to reach the final at the Australian Open on his first Grand Slam appearance since her recent comeback from retirement.

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Australian Open Federer and Serena Williams end Aussies’ hopes

Australian Open Federer and Serena Williams end Aussies’ hopes

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