Australian Open 2020 LIVE Score and Updates: World number one Rafael Nadal weathered a fierce storm from gutsy showman Nick Kyrgios Monday to set up an Australian Open quarter-final against Dominic Thiem and keep alive his quest for a 20th Grand Slam title. The Spanish top seed came through a riveting clash on Rod Laver Arena 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (8/6), 7-6 (7/4) to end the gallant hopes of the basketball-mad Australian, who came on court wearing an LA Lakers shirt in honour of Kobe Bryant.
Bubbling animosity has characterised relations between the two, after Nadal accused Kyrgios of lacking respect and the Australian fired back that the Spaniard was “super salty”. There was also little to split them, with Nadal leading their career head-to-head 4-3 but Kyrgios 2-1 up on hardcourts and an even 1-1 in their Grand Slam matches, both at Wimbledon. The second of those, last year, was a torrid affair, with Kyrgios ranting at the umpire, serving underarm and deliberately firing a forehand at the Spaniard. However, Kyrgios struck a conciliatory tone before Monday’s match, saying there was a “layer of respect” between the two players, despite their differences.
“I don’t really dislike him. I don’t know him at all. Hell of a tennis player. Don’t know him as a person. I’m sure he’s okay,” he said. “I’m super-excited honestly. Playing one of the greatest tennis players on centre court at your own Slam, it’s pretty damn cool.” Either Nadal or Kyrgios will go into a quarter-final against Gael Monfils or Dominic Thiem, the Austrian fifth seed.
Stan Wawrinka battled past Russian fourth seed Daniil Medvedev in five sets to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-2 2-6 4-6 7-6(2) 6-2 victory on Monday. Medvedev came into the contest having won both their career meetings at Grand Slams in four sets but the 2014 Australian Open champion took the opening set with a double break of the Russian’s serve. Medvedev, who lost to Rafa Nadal in five sets in last year’s U.S. Open final, levelled the contest by breaking Wawrinka twice in the second and nosed ahead in the match with a break in the seventh game of the third. But Wawrinka refused to yield and took the fourth set tiebreaker comfortably before breaking Medvedev twice in the fifth.
Anett Kontaveit fought off a spirited challenge from Polish teenager Iga Swiatek to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final with a 6-7(4) 7-5 7-5 victory in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Monday. The Estonian 28th seed saved 12 breakpoints in a see-saw contest on Melbourne Arena as she battled back from a set down to book a last-eight meeting with twice Grand Slam champion Simona Halep. Halep had to be at her counter-punching best to fight off another determined second-set comeback bid from Elise Mertens as the Romanian world number three advanced to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. Halep, a beaten finalist at Melbourne Park two years ago, moved on with a 6-4 6-4 victory.
Garbine Muguruza powered into the Australian Open quarter-finals with a 6-3 6-3 demolition of ninth-seed Kiki Bertens in just 68 minutes on Monday. Muguruza, a former French Open and Wimbledon champion, was unseeded at Melbourne Park and has proved a dangerous floater in the draw, having also thrashed fifth seed Elina Svitolina 6-1 6-2 in the previous round. Fifth seed Dominic Thiem kept his flawless record against Gael Monfils intact with a trouble-free 6-2 6-4 6-4 victory on Monday to reach his maiden Australian Open quarter-final. Thiem, twice a French Open finalist, came into the fourth-round clash against the 10th seed having won all five of the matches they have previously played and did not face a single breakpoint against the Frenchman on the Rod Laver Arena.
Order of play at the Australian Open on Monday:
Margaret Court Arena
Angelique Kerber (GER -17) v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS -30)
Melbourne Arena
Andrey Rublev (RUS -17) v Alexander Zverev (GER -7)
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment