Rafael Nadal stormed into the round of 16 at the Australian Open Friday with a vintage performance as Grigor Dimitrov and Caroline Wozniacki kept their Grand Slam hopes alive on a hot draining day.
Dimitrov will next face Australian Nick Kyrgios who beat French veteran Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four close and entertaining sets in a prime-time evening match on Rod Laver Arena.
French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko’s tournament is over, with the Latvian seventh seed crashing out in three sets to Estonian Annet Kontaveit.
The big story
Kyrgios topples idol Tsonga
Australia’s Nick Kyrgios won an electric four-setter with his idol Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to advance to the round of 16 at the Australian Open on Friday.
Kyrgios, seeded 17, needed three tiebreakers to win a crunch match with the former finalist 7-6 (7/5), 4-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6(5) in 3hr 17min in a spectacular night match on Rod Laver Arena.
It pitches the mercurial Australian into a round of 16 showdown with Bulgaria’s world No.3 Grigor Dimitrov on Sunday.
Kyrgios, urged on by his home crowd, traded breathtaking shots with Tsonga, who lost to Novak Djokovic in the 2008 Australian final when Kyrgios was a doting 12-year-old fan.
“It was amazing. I’ve never won a match on this court before but playing Jo I was obviously very nervous,” Kyrgios said on court.
“He was a guy I looked up to as a kid, still do, he’s a great guy. I’m just so happy to get through.
Teen sensation bows out
Fourth seed Elina Svitolina ended the first Grand Slam odyssey of 15-year-old Marta Kostyuk in straights sets on Friday.
The Ukrainian world number four breezed past her compatriot 6-2, 6-2 in just 59 minutes on a searing day on Rod Laver Arena.
Kostyuk had been labelled the “future of tennis” by some observers after becoming the youngest Australian Open second-round winner since “Swiss Miss” Martina Hingis in 1996.
But she produced a nervous, error-strewn display against Svitolina and was inconsolable as she returned to the locker room.
Nadal ominous
Rafael Nadal stormed into the round of 16 at the Australian Open Friday with a vintage performance on a hot draining day.
The Spanish world number one showed no mercy to 28th seed Damir Dzumhur on Margaret Court Arena, as he rediscovers his best form after ankle trouble.
The top seed raced through the match in just 1hr 50min, wasting as little energy as possible in the 6-1, 6-3, 6-1 rout.
Dimitrov survives
Third seed Grigor Dimitrov, who could meet Nadal in the semis, had plenty to prove after a huge second-round fright from a qualifier, who pushed him to five sets.
And the Bulgarian delivered in a testing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Russian rising star Andrey Rublev as temperatures touched 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
Wozniacki cruises into last 16
World No 2 Caroline Wozniacki kept her bid for a first Grand Slam title on course as she stormed into the last 16 of the Australian Open on Friday.
The second seed only scraped through to the third round by the skin of her teeth, saving two match points at 5-1 down in the third set against 119th ranked Jana Fett.
But on Friday she gave her most assured performance of the tournament so far, cruising past Kiki Bertens of the Netherlands 6-4, 6-3 in an hour and 26 minutes.
Ostapenko knocked out
Estonia’s Anett Kontaveit shrugged off a torrid second set meltdown to knock seventh seed Jelena Ostapenko out of the Australian Open on Friday.
The Estonian 32nd seed is into the last 16 at Melbourne Park for the first time after winning a rollercoaster match against the French Open champion 6-3, 1-6, 6-3.
From the sidelines
Going gaga over Will Smith
After Will Ferrel, it was the turn of Will Smith to spend time court-side at the Australian Open. The Hollywood star took time out to watch local boy Nick Kyrgios battle it out with Frenchman Jo-Wilfred Tsonga.
Kyrgios, who beat Tsonga in a thrilling four-set contest, revealed that he decided to speak with the famous actor during the game, just to “break the ice”.
“It was surreal seeing him tonight. You know, I was talking to him in the third set. I kept looking at him. I was like, I got to break the ice, I got to say something.
“Every time he got shown on the screen, they cheered louder for him than any of the shots we were making.
“I was like, ‘Man, you may as well just stay out here, they probably enjoy that more than the tennis.’” Kyrgios added.
Quotable quotes
“How much you have to pay Svitolina to have one-hour lesson? I got it for free. I had the chances, but because I thought, like, she is incredible, she’s a god, I cannot do anything against her, that’s the problem.”
- 15-year-old Marta Kostyuk after her loss to Elina Svitolina.
“I’m feeling good physically, the heat didn’t scare me at all today, so that’s a good sign.”
- Grigor Dimitrov after reaching the round of 16 on another hot day in Melbourne.
“It was amazing. I’ve never won a match on this court before but playing Jo I was obviously very nervous. He was a guy I looked up to as a kid, still do, he’s a great guy. I’m just so happy to get through.”
- Nick Kyrgios after beating Jo-Wilfred Tsonga at the Rod Laver arena.
“Right now I’m playing with house money, playing with nothing to lose. I was already out of the tournament.”
- Carolina Wozniacki is still not over her “great escape” in the second round.
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