Djokovic outlasts Alcaraz to reach Australian Open semi-finals

Novak Djokovic will face Alexander Zverev in semi-finals.

Australian Open: Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz and gets closer to 25th Grand Slam title

MELBOURNE: Novak Djokovic refused to let anything stop his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam trophy in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Not a problem with his left leg. Not an early deficit. And not the kid across the net, Carlos Alcaraz, who was making things difficult and eyeing his own bit of history. Djokovic overcame it all, just as he has so often along the way to so many triumphs, moving into the semifinals at Melbourne Park for the 12th time with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Alcaraz in a scintillating showdown Tuesday night between a pair of stars born 16 years apart and at opposite ends of their careers. The action was non-stop, the shot-making brilliant, even as the match stretched on for more than 3 1/2 hours and nearly to 1 a.m. never more so, perhaps, than when Alcaraz saved a break point that would have put Djokovic ahead 5-2 in the fourth set, allowing him to serve for the win. The 33-stroke exchange was the longest of the evening, and when it ended with Djokovic sailing a forehand long, the capacity crowd at Rod Laver Arena went wild. Djokovic reached for his bothersome leg and yelled toward his entourage; Alcaraz, his chest heaving, leaned on a towel box and grinned. Zverev primed for 'very intense' Australian Open semi-final Turned out that only delayed the final result. With his wife, son and daughter cheering in the stands, the No. 7-seeded Djokovic prevailed thanks to the sort of remarkable returning and no-mistakes-made groundstrokes against Alcaraz that now-retired rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal dealt with for years. Djokovic enjoyed some of his own best efforts in the latter stages, pointing to his ear or blowing kisses or spreading his arms while puffing out his chest. There was the forehand winner on a 22-stroke point that earned the break for a 5-3 lead in the third set. There was that sets last point, which included a back-to-the-net sprint to chase down a lob. Alcaraz wasnt shy, either, shouting Vamos! and pumping his fists after one particularly booming forehand in the fourth set. On Friday, Djokovics 50th major semifinal will come against No. 2 seed Alexander Zverev, a two-time runner-up at majors who beat No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. The other mens quarterfinals are Wednesday: No. 1 Jannik Sinner vs. No. 8 Alex de Minaur, and No. 21 Ben Shelton against unseeded Lorenzo Sonego.

Coco Gauff says she has more work to do after loss to Badosa at the Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Coco Gauffs retooled forehand and serve abandoned her in the worst way and at the worst time at the Australian Open. The unforced errors just kept accumulating Tuesday, and so did the double-faults and break points, often followed by a palm placed over her eyes or a slap to a thigh. Add it all up, and Gauffs trip to Melbourne Park and her 13-match winning streak that dated to late last season ended in the quarterfinals. Never able to take control on a hot afternoon in Rod Laver Arena, the 2023 U.S. Open champion was eliminated by No. 11 Paula Badosa of Spain 7-5, 6-4. Using tweaks to some key strokes, and a change to her coaching team after a disappointing end to her title defense in New York in September, the 20-year-old Gauff arrived in Australia with hopes of earning a second Grand Slam title. I feel like (at the) U.S. Open, I was playing with no solution, so that was more the frustrating part. Today, I feel like Im playing with solutions; I know what I need to work on. U.S. Open, I needed to work on my serve. Not saying that my serve is where I want it to be, but I worked on it; obviously, a big improvement. So I want to continue working on that, continue working on playing aggressive, Gauff said. So I feel like Im on the road to the right way, right path, she said. Even though I lost today, I feel like Im in an upward trajectory. The American entered Tuesday with a 9-0 record in 2025; she also won her last four matches of last season to collect the trophy at the WTA Finals in November. Just a lot more work to do, Gauff said after the 1-hour, 43-minute loss to Badosa, who had been 0-2 in Grand Slam quarterfinals. Im obviously disappointed, but Im not completely crushed. Badosa now heads to her first Grand Slam semifinal at age 27 and less than a year after she was contemplating retirement because of a stress fracture in her back that took what felt like forever to heal and did not initially respond to cortisone injections. I wanted to (give) it a last try, Badosa said, Well, here I am. So Im really proud of what we went through with all my team and especially how I (fought) through all that, especially mentally. In Thursdays semifinals, she will go up against her close friend, No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, the two-time defending champion in Melbourne. Sabalenka stretched her winning streak in the tournament to 19 matches by getting past No. 27 Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. No. 2 Alexander Zverev, a two-time finalist at other majors, was the first man into this years Australian Open semifinals, getting there for the third time since 2020 by beating No. 12 Tommy Paul 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1. Paul was one point from taking the first set, then a point from taking the second, but couldnt close the deal, and Zverev was simply superior in the ensuing tiebreakers. Zverev faces the winner of the most-anticipated mens quarterfinal: Novak Djokovic vs. Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic, 37, is aiming for an 11th Australian Open trophy and a record 25th Grand Slam singles title overall. Alcaraz seeks to complete a career Grand Slam at age 21 by adding a championship in Australia to the ones he already owns: two from Wimbledon plus one apiece from the U.S. Open and French Open. Badosa was hurt during a practice at the tournament in Rome in May 2023, shortly after she began working with coach Pol Toledo. A year later, including several months off the tour, there still were issues. The reality is that the back was not responding. We couldnt find a solution. Paula was frustrated, Toledo said. I was like: This is not working. I dont know what we have to do. Relying on a new doctor, fitness coach and nutritionist, Badosa tried different exercises and supplements, and her back improved. The puzzle, she said, started to look better. On Tuesday, she kept the pressure on Gauff, who finished with 41 unforced errors, including six double-faults and 28 missed forehands. Badosa compiled 10 break points and won four of Gauffs service games. Gauff, meanwhile, never earned so much as a single break point until after already down a set and a break. One key game and one that illustrated Gauffs problems on this afternoon started the second set. It lasted 22 points spread over more than a dozen minutes, and Badosa converted her fifth break chance after Gauff missed two forehands in a row. Of Badosas 12 points in that game, 11 came via mistakes by Gauff, including seven errant forehands. Today, Gauff said, she did better in those key moments. When Badosa ended the quarterfinal with a forehand winner, she placed her hand over her mouth, then knelt on the ground and bowed her head. This was a big moment for someone who reached a career-best ranking of No. 2 in 2022, but only now believes shes reached her full potential. Emotionally, I wanted it so much, Badosa said. Im never going to feel freedom until I win the tournament. Im always like this. Its my personality. Its my character.

Aryna Sabalenka reaches the Australian Open semifinals as she seeks a third title in a row

MELBOURNE: Aryna Sabalenkas bid for a third consecutive Australian Open championship will continue after she got past Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in a surprisingly difficult quarterfinal Tuesday night. The No. 1-ranked Sabalenka has now won 19 matches in a row at Melbourne Park and will face her good friend, No. 11 seed Paula Badosa, in the semifinals Thursday. Sabalenka had run her set streak to 25 at the place dating all the way to the 2023 final when she grabbed the opener against 2021 French Open runner-up Pavlyuchenkova. But Sabalenka had a hard time harnessing her intimidating strokes on a windy evening in Rod Laver Arena until doing so down the stretch and collecting the last three games after the third set was tied at 3-all. Honestly, Sabalenka said, I was just praying. She won her first major championship at Melbourne Park in 2023, then added another last January, before raising her total to three Grand Slam trophies at the U.S. Open last September. The last woman to win the Australian Open three straight years was Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999. Badosas 7-5, 6-4 victory over No. 3 Coco Gauff in the days first quarterfinal was surprising, sure, but nothing compared with how significant a win by No. 27 Pavlyuchenkova over Sabalenka would have been. And that certainly seemed like it might occur for much of the second set and at least the start of the third. Instead, Pavlyuchenkova fell to 1-8 in Grand Slam quarterfinals, including 0-4 at the Australian Open. So how did Pavlyuchenkova nearly pull off the win this time? By handling Sabalenkas big serves, first and foremost, reading them well and delivering deep returns. It took a bit of time to find the range, but once she did, Pavlyuchenkova was nearly perfect: After Sabalenka held all four of her service games in the first set, she lost five of the next six. Pavlyuchenkova also produced stinging groundstrokes that equaled her powerful opponents for much of the contest. And by showing off some talent with her volleying, claiming eight of the first nine points she finished at the net one even appeared to be a sort of mistake but landed in, eliciting a wry smile from Pavlyuchenkova. As things stayed tight, Sabalenka grew frustrated, her shot-accompanying grunts and post-point screams growing louder. After getting broken to fall behind 1-0 in the third set, she hit her racket against the blue court. Eventually, though, she was able to smile and look ahead to trying to return to the final with one more victory.

Goran Ivanisevic says he no longer will be coaching Elena Rybakina after Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Goran Ivanisevic's brief stint as 2022 Wimbledon championElena Rybakina'scoach is over now that she is out of theAustralian Open. Ivanisevic, a Wimbledon winner himself in 2001, posted a brief statement on social media Tuesday, saying: After our trial period that finished with Australian Open, I wish Elena and her team best of luck moving forward. The sixth-seeded Rybakina, a runner-up in Australia two years ago, was eliminated in the fourth round by Madison Keys on Monday. Rybakina's coaching situation is complicated: She announced right before last years U.S. Open that she no longer was working with her long-time coach, Stefano Vukov, and hired Ivanisevic ahead of this season. Then, just before the Australian Open, Rybakina said Vukov would be rejoining her team and the WTA Tour said Vukov was provisionally suspended, pending an independent investigation into a potential breach of the WTA code of conduct. Ivanisevic coached Novak Djokovic to a dozen Grand Slam titles together before they split in March 2024.

Alexander Zverev beats Tommy Paul to reach his third Australian Open semifinal

MELBOURNE:Alexander Zverevreached his thirdAustralian Opensemifinal with a 7-6 (1), 7-6 (0), 2-6, 6-1 win over 12th-seeded Tommy Paul of the United States on Tuesday. The No. 2-ranked Zverev had to save a set point in each of the first two sets but then dominated both tiebreakers. Zverev is a two-time Grand Slam runner-up. He never has made it that far in Australia. The German next plays the winner of a quarterfinal later Tuesday that he described as a clash of generations between 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic, who is 37, and four-time major winner Carlos Alcaraz, 21. Zverev needed three match points one on Paul's serve, and two more on his own to clinch the victory, which he closed with an ace. Paul was a semifinalist in Melbourne in 2023 and had won both of his previous matches against Zverev, but this was their first Grand Slam meeting. To be honest, I should have been down two sets to love. He played better than me, Zverev said. I was not playing great, and I thought he was. I somehow won the first set, somehow won the second set Im in the semifinals, somehow. He called the Djokovic-Alcaraz quarterfinal probably the highlight match of the whole tournament. Two of the best players that probably ever touched a tennis racket, Zverev said. Its a clash of generations.

The one good thing AITA did in the last few years was shut down: Zeeshan Ali

'He's got this dry British humour that is really, really fun': Djokovic hails coach Murray

Speaker: We've got a very special guest joining us now on ( Sony) Extraaa Serve from Melbourne Park. We've got the 10-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic. Novak, firstly, congratulations. Your 61st Grand Slam quarterfinal. I mean, these records are unthinkable to most human beings, but you seem to continue to do the unthinkable. Your Indian fans are showing a lot of love towards you. And an Indian superstar alongside me, Sanja Mirza, has a few questions for you as well. Sania Mirza: Hi, Novak. Congratulations, yet again another quarterfinal. Nice to talk to you, even though on TV. How was it today? Let me start with that. How did it feel out there? How was that match today? Novak Djokovic: Nice to talk to you guys as well and you Sania, I haven't seen you in a while so I hope you're doing well. Yeah, it's great. Great match for me tonight and to be able to beat a guy who is in red hot form. You know, he won the opening week, obviously, of the year and he's been playing some really dominant tennis. So, big serve, big forehand. I didn't see myself, to be honest, as a clear favorite today so I had to really be sharp, be alert from the very beginning and I think a very good quality performance in the third round against also a guy who was in for match gave me confidence coming into today's match, feeling good, striking the ball well, moving well. You know, third set, you know, I dropped my serve when I broke his serve right away in the, in the first game, I lost the, I lost the break in the next game and then it was hard to break his serve all the way to tiebreak of the third because he was you know serving really accurately and really fast you know being very aggressive so it was very close third set could have gone different way but I managed to hold my nerves and I think under pressure played really good tennis so I'm happy with the way I'm playing happy with the way I'm feeling on the court and I look forward to the next challenge. Sania Mirza: And we're happy watching you. Novak I want to ask you where mere mortals like myself, who we are almost the similar age, are sitting here with knees that can't be run on anymore. What is fueling you? What is it that's keeping you going after achieving everything there is to achieve in the world of tennis? What is the inspiration? How are you finding it? Novak Djokovic: Well, there's a few things. You know, but I think main motivation and inspiration comes from really love for the game and competition drive. I just love getting out there and competing with young guys and being challenged and challenging others. And obviously in terms of history of the sport, winning as many tournaments as I possibly can and making more history in slams. Those are the events that count the most in our sport as long as I'm able to play on a high level really and get to the latter stages of the Grand slams and stay healthy. I feel like I want to keep going. I have the support of the closest people in my life which is essential to me. And I must admit it's not easy. There are days where I feel like I have to go through this again and again. Why do I need this? I have two children and I brought them now to Australia to be with me and its a hustle and you know how it is at times but you know I'm still trying to remind myself of really I mean how blessed and grateful I am to have the healthy body and still be able to play at this level. So I'm in another quarterfinals and you know I'm going to face one of the best players in the world Alcaraz's in few days time so you know this is this is what counts now hopefully I'll be yeah I'll be able to deliver my A game. Sania Mirza: Yes, and we are glad that you are still playing. Trust us. We are not complaining at all. I want to ask you one more thing. Speaking of the support system, you have added someone new into your support camp, which is Andy Murray, somebody that we all played juniors with. And you are still playing. And one is coaching. One is asking you questions. So I want to know, how's it going? Are you going to let us in on some secrets that Andy's been sharing with you? Novak Djokovic: Look, what I'm going to say is that he's as professional coach as he was as professional when he was a player. He's so dedicated and meticulous about his everyday chores. He's always prepared, making sure he analyses every opponent, my game. We communicate a lot on and off the court. We also have fun, a great guy has got this dry British humour that is really, really fun. You know, we've seen it over the years on Twitter. And now when I got a chance to spend a bit more time with him and get to know him, I really have only positive things to say about him and the way he approaches tennis and life. Just an honour to have him in my corner and so glad that already in the first tournament we are reaching the quarterfinals of a slam. So far, it's going well and hopefully we don't stop here. Speaker: Novak, it's seemingly clear you're not stopping anytime soon and it's an honour to have you join us in our studios as well here in India. A lot of love from here to you over in Melbourne Park as well. We know you've got a big, big match-up that the entire world is going to be watching but congratulations on all the success and keep being the brilliant sporting ambassador that you are. (Credit: Sony Sports Networks EXTRAAA SERVE)

Merciless Swiatek crushes 'lucky loser' Lys to reach Melbourne quarters

Iga Swiatek showed no mercy as she ended lucky loser Eva Lys's historic run at the Australian Open on Monday, the world number two marching into the quarter-finals 6-0, 6-1. There was to be no happy ending to Lys's incredible story against the ruthless five-time Grand Slam champion from Poland, who will meet either Emma Navarro or Daria Kasatkina for a place in the semi-finals. There's a lot to improve. I don't feel like I'm in my peak yet, said Swiatek, who has dropped only two games in her last two matches. For sure, matches like that give me confidence and I feel like I'm playing a good game. Swiatek has a patchy record in Melbourne, only reaching the semi-finals once, in 2022, but warned she was in the mood this year. I usually didn't feel comfortable at the Australian Open with my game, she said. But this year it's a bit better. So I'm just enjoying being on the court and off the court as well. Because for sure I have an amazing time here, and hopefully it's gonna last even longer. Lys fleetingly threatened another shock when she created two break points in the opening game, but Swiatek stepped up her pace to save both. From then on the result was inevitable and the former world number one showed the gulf in class as she flattened the German in an hour. Swiatek conceded just 10 points in an opening set that lasted 24 minutes. When Swiatek took a 3-0 lead in the second, an embarrassing double bagel 6-0, 6-0 scoreline loomed. But Lys finally managed to hold her serve and raised her arms in celebration with her beaming smile eliciting a massive ovation from the packed Rod Laver Arena. The 23-year-old Swiatek has been in imperious form, dropping just 11 games in her four wins at Melbourne Park. For world number 128 Lys it was the end of what she called an insane story. She made the last 16 after getting a reprieve into the main draw, having losing in qualifying, when 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya withdrew minutes before her opening match. Had Lys advanced she would have become the first lucky loser in history to reach the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam tournament. But the 23-year-old had already made history by reaching the fourth round at Melbourne Park, a feat not achieved by a women's lucky loser since the tournament moved there in 1988.

Sinner defies dizzy spells to reach Melbourne last eight

MELBOURNE: Defending champion Jannik Sinner battled dizzy spells on Monday in energy-sapping heat to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals, admitting a long interruption when he accidentally broke the net was ig, big luck. The world number one again dropped a set before coming home 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Danish 13th seed Holger Rune on Rod Laver Arena with both men needing medical attention. Sinner struggled in the muggy conditions, his hand visibly shaking and his heart rate taken in the third set before he left court for a medical timeout. Rune needed attention to a sore right knee in the same set. They then had a bizarre 20-minute delay when Sinner demolished the metal brace that secures the net to the floor with a thunderous serve early in set four. I was not feeling really well. You know, I think we saw that today I was struggling physically, said Sinner, 23, who is bidding to become the first Italian man to win three Grand Slam crowns. He refused to say exactly what was wrong with him, only that he was ot there health-wise and had been a bit dizzy at times. I don't want to go into details. I think it was, you know, then also with the pressure and everything, it was not easy. He admitted that the time off court in air-conditioning while officials repaired the net helped him refresh. I was lucky today that... 20 minutes off court, you know, trying to get back physically, putting some cold water in my head, it was very helpful. It was big, big luck to me today. The win put him into a clash against Australia's big hope, eighth seed Alex de Minaur, or young American Alex Michelsen. The Italian is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time after winning the first of his two majors in Melbourne last year, beating Daniil Medvedev in the final. Labouring As temperatures rose above 30 Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) for a second successive day, Sinner stamped his authority on the match by breaking to love, with Rune hitting four consecutive errors. Sinner's serve was iron-clad and there was no sniff for the Dane, who went a set down in 33 minutes. But a Sinner double-fault in the eighth game of set two handed Rune a break, allowing him to hold and level the match as he began to find his rhythm. It was the second set Sinner had dropped in the tournament, having not done so in 13 previous matches. Sinner clung on to hold in an epic game three in the third set, which included a remarkable 37-shot rally that the Italian won to save break point. He gave Rune another break point at 2-2 with a double fault, but again saved, yet he was labouring. At the changeover, a doctor checked him and he went off for a medical timeout. Sinner returned and slogged through a testing 14-point eighth game to break for 5-3 before sealing the set. After the delay while the net was fixed, he produced a top-notch forehand winner to break for 2-1 in the fourth set and there was no way back for a tiring Rune.

Daniil Medvedev fined $76,000 for his Australian Open outbursts

MELBOURNE: Daniil Medvedev has been fined a total of $76,000 for his camera and racket smashing outbursts during the first two rounds of the Australian Open. The fines were published Sunday by Australian Open organizers, two days after Medvedev's unexpected second-round exit. The 2021 U.S. Open champion destroyed a tiny camera hanging in the net by repeatedly smacking it with his racket during a surprisingly difficult, five-set, first-round win over Kasidit Samrej, who was ranked 418th. He was fined $10,000 for the first-round infringement. Medvedev was penalized a point during his second-round loss to 19-year-old American qualifier Learner Tien for showing similar signs of frustration. He was fined $66,000 for his second-round code violations. After getting broken to trail 4-3 in the second set when Tien delivered a lob that landed at the baseline, Medvedev chucked his equipment toward the sideline, skidding it across the court until it reached an advertising panel near his bench. At other moments of anger, Medvedev hit a ball against the back wall, toppled a camera behind a baseline and punched his racket bag. He also voiced displeasure about being called for two consecutive foot-faults, resulting in a double-fault, during the second-set tiebreaker. The 4-hour, 49-minute second-round contest ended shortly before 3 a.m. on Friday. Medvedev was seeded No. 5 at Melbourne Park, where he was the runner-up in three of the past four years, including 12 months ago. This was Medvedev's first tournament of the season his wife recently gave birth to their second child and the 28-year-old Russian never really displayed his best tennis

Aryna Sabalenka blows away Andreeva to reach Melbourne quarter-finals

MELBOURNE: Aryna Sabalenka stayed on course for a historic third consecutive Australian Open crown on Sunday, ruthlessly blowing away teenager Mirra Andreeva to reach the quarter-finals. Sabalenka was in irresistible form on Rod Laver Arena, powering to a 6-1, 6-2 victory in just 62 minutes against the Russian 17-year-old. It was the Belarusian's 18th consecutive win at Melbourne Park, where temperatures reached up to 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit). I'm super happy to get through this difficult match in straight sets, said Sabalenka, who will face Russian 27th seed Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next. She's so young but always playing great tennis, it's always tough battles against her, Sabalenka said of Andreeva. Despite registering three straight-sets wins Sabalenka had not been at her imperious best during the first week. She dropped serve three times in the second round and five times before battling past Clara Tauson 7-6 (7/5), 6-4 to reach the last 16. She had no such problems in much hotter conditions against Andreeva, ripping through her first two service games without conceding a point and breaking for a 4-1 lead. Two-time defending champion Sabalenka is into the fourth round at the Australian Open Previous days were such tough conditions, the ball was so heavy, said Sabalenka. The ball was flying like a rocket. I hope conditions are going to be the same till the end of the tournament. Andreeva struggled to live with Sabalenka's power and was being pushed further back as the champion pulled off a deft drop-shot winner to lead 5-1. A delicious backhand pass clinched the set in just 24 minutes. Sabalenka did not let up at the start of the second set, an early break giving her a 3-1 cushion. Andreeva showed a fleeting glimpse of her talent when saving two break points in the next. She then created three of her own, but all were saved and the Sabalenka juggernaut could not be stopped as she cruised to the finish line. Sabalenka can complete a hat-trick of Australian Open consecutive titles. It is a rare feat last achieved 26 years ago by Martina Hingis and only matched by four other women in history, all legends of the sport. Margaret Court, Evonne Goolagong, Steffi Graf and Monica Seles are the others to complete the treble. Pavlyuchenkova beat ailing Croatian 18th seed Donna Vekic 7-6 (7/0), 6-0. Vekic needed treatment on her knee at the end of a tight first set and from then on it was one-way traffic. Pavlyuchenkova reached the Australian Open quarter-finals in 2017, 2019 and 2020 but has never got to the last four.

Defending champ Jannik Sinner gets back to fourth round at Australian Open

MELBOURNE: Defending championJannik Sinnerbeat 46th-ranked Marcos Giron of the U.S. 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 at theAustralian Openon Saturday night, reaching the fourth round at Melbourne Park for the fourth time. Sinner stretched his unbeaten run to 17 matches, dating to last season. He had an eventful 2024, claiming his first two Grand Slam titles, reaching No. 1 in the ATP rankings for the first time and going through a doping case that is still not quite resolved, because the World Anti-Doping Agency appealed his exoneration. The 23-year-old Italian's next opponent in Australia will be No. 13 Holger Rune, who beat Miomir Kecmanovic 6-7 (5), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4. After eliminating Giron, who was trying to get to the fourth round of a major for the first time, Sinner was critical of himself, pointing specifically to his 16-of-24 success rate on points when he moved forward. The percentage of my net game was not really good, Sinner said with a chuckle. For sure, if I want to go on in this tournament, I have to improve, he added. So hopefully in the next round, I'm able to raise my level.

Australian Open: Iga Swiatek is in total control during a 6-1, 6-0 rout of Emma Raducanu

MELBOURNE, Australia: Everything came so easily for Iga Swiatek during a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Emma Raducanu on Saturday in the only Australian Open womens third-round match between two past Grand Slam champions if you thought that meant it would be close, youd have been rather wrong that this was how she described it: I felt like the ball, Swiatek said, is listening to me. Loud and clear. Asked to explain that sensation, Swiatek put her two index fingers a few inches apart and said, Its just being able to aim for this kind of space. Then she spread her palms more than a foot apart to show thats the margin for error on other days. The difference, she said, comes down to being more precise and actually knowing where the ball is going to go, seeing the effects that you want it to. When the five-time major champion and former long-time No. 1-ranked woman now No. 2, behind Aryna Sabalenka is at the height of her powers, as she sure has seemed to be in Week 1 at Melbourne Park, it is hard for anyone to slow Swiatek down. The heavy-spinning, high-bouncing forehands. The squeaky-sneaker scrambling to get to every shot. The terrific returning. And so on. Later Saturday, No. 4 Taylor Fritz, the runner-up at last years U.S. Open, became the highest-seeded man to leave the bracket, defeated by 38-year-old Gael Monfils 3-6, 7-5, 7-6 (1), 6-4. Monfils joined Roger Federer as the only men 38 or older to get to the fourth round in Melbourne since the field expanded to 128 players in 1988. At the other end of the age spectrum, a pair of young Californians who have been pals for a while and trained together in the offseason Learner Tien, 19, and Alex Michelsen, 20 earned debuts in the fourth round at a major. Ben Shelton, who is 22, won, too. No. 1 Jannik Sinner, however, eliminated American Marcos Giron 6-3, 6-4, 6-2. Tien, a qualifier ranked 121st, followed up his surprising win against No. 5 Daniil Medvedev in a five-setter that ended at 3 a.m. on Friday with a 7-6 (10), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Corentin Moutet of France. Michelsen, who is ranked 42nd, overwhelmed No. 19 seed Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-2. It was the second time Michelsen knocked off a top-20 seed this week after beating No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2023 Australian Open runner-up, in the first round. Shelton, the 21st seed and a U.S. Open semifinalist in 2023, defeated No. 16 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) and will take on Monfils on Monday. Michelsen will try to send another high seed packing when he plays No. 8 Alex de Minaur, an Australian who beat No. 31 Francisco Cerndolo 5-7, 7-6 (3), 6-3, 6-3. Tien faces 55th-ranked Lorenzo Sonego of Italy, a 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 6-1, 6-2 winner over Fabian Marozsan. Against Raducanu, who won the 2021 U.S. Open as a teenage qualifier, Swiatek played at a level she called perfect. Indeed, Swiatek mounted a 24-9 edge in winners, made only 12 unforced errors roughly half of Raducanus 22 and claimed 59 points to 29. That caused one spectator to yell out, No mercy! in the second set as Swiatek was reeling off the last 11 games after the match was tied at 1-all early with not a cloud in the sky and the temperature approaching 80 degrees Fahrenheit (above 25 Celsius). I think it was a little bit of her playing well, and me not playing so well, Raducanu said. That combination is probably not good. Fair. Swiatek, who agreed to accept a one-month suspension in a doping case late last year, owns four trophies from the French Open and one from the U.S. Open. But shes never been beyond the semifinals in Australia; she lost in that round to Danielle Collins in 2022. A year ago, Swiatek was upset in the third round by teenager Linda Noskova. Swiatek, who said she dedicated Saturdays win to her grandfather, has ceded a total of only 10 games through three matches with new coach Wim Fissette sitting courtside. Next up will be 128th-ranked Eva Lys of Germany, who lost in qualifying but was given a spot in the main draw when someone withdrew about 10 minutes before her first-round match. Lys defeated Jaqueline Cristian 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 and is the first lucky loser to get to the Australian Opens fourth round since the tournament moved to Melbourne Park in 1988. Others who now will get a chance to play for a quarterfinal berth after victories Saturday included No. 6 Elena Rybakina, No. 8 Emma Navarro and No. 9 Daria Kasatkina. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, beat No. 32 Dayana Yastremska 6-3, 6-4, Navarro eliminated three-time major finalist Ons Jabeur 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, and Kasatkina got past No. 24 Yulia Putintseva 7-5, 6-1. Unseeded Veronika Kudermetova beat No. 15 Beatriz Haddad Maia 6-4, 6-2. No. 4 Jasmine Paolini, who is a two-time Slam finalist, was eliminated by No. 28 Elina Svitolina 2-6, 6-4, 6-0. Navarro, who reached her first major semifinal at Flushing Meadows in September, has won all three of her matches in Melbourne this year in three sets. That means she has been involved in 30 tour-level three-setters since the start of last season, the most of any female player. I love three sets. I love tennis so much, I cant resist, joked Navarro, who grew up in South Carolina and won an NCAA singles title at the University of Virginia. I just wanted to stick in there and keep believing in myself.

History-making 'lucky loser' Eva Lys into Australian Open last 16

MELBOURNE: Eva Lys made history on Saturday as the 128th-ranked German battled into the fourth round of the Australian Open to set up a meeting with second seed Iga Swiatek. The 23-year-old fought back from a set down to become the first women's singles lucky loser to reach the fourth round since the event moved to Melbourne Park in 1988. She defeated Jaqueline Cristian of Romania 4-6, 6-3, 6-3. A lucky loser is a player who loses in qualifying but later gets a ticket into the main draw following another player's withdrawal, usually because of illness or injury. It has been a whirlwind few days for Ukraine-born Lys. She lost in the final round of qualifying in Melbourne last week, her hopes of making the first major of the year seemingly over. Her bags were packed and her flight out of Melbourne booked. But she hung about on the off-chance that another player would drop out and 13th seed Anna Kalinskaya did just that on Tuesday, suddenly giving Lys another Australian Open life. She said she had just 10 minutes' warning before defeating home player Kimberly Birrell in straight sets in the first round, then beat Varvara Gracheva of France. This is Lys's best performance at a major.