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Stanislas Wawrinka: Swiss Star Wawrinka Takes Down American Andy Roddick

Stanislas Wawrinka, ranked No. 19, managed to eliminate Andy Roddick in the fourth round of the Australian Open with a three-set win 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.  Roddick's exit leaves the Aussie without an American going into the quarterfinals.

"He outplayed me," said Roddick. "He handled his balls getting to the court better than mine. He was working the lines really well. He was seeing it big tonight, and he hit it well. I was frustrated.
Couldn't get the rallies to go my way. I was trying to stand up in the court and, I just felt when I adjusted my positioning up in the court he was opening up the lines and making it a shorter line. I
didn't have the ability to run back. Conditions were colder, so slice wasn't really working. I wasn't able to get the ball to jump much, so a lot of the shots he hit were in his pocket and I was
having a hard time getting it out of that zone."

"One of my best matches, for sure," Wawrinka said. "To beat Roddick in three sets, it's really good for me. I'm very happy with all my game. I was playing great and I felt I put a lot of pressure on him."

The victory not only gives Wawrinka his ever Australian Open quarterfinals appearance it also allows him to face countryman Roger Federer.

Wawrinka and Federer will become the first ever Swiss men to meet in a Grand Slam quarterfinal in the Open ear.

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Andrea Petkovic: Petkovic Topples Sharapova In Fourth Round of Aussie

Andrea Petkovic cruised past former Australian Open winner Maria Sharapova in straight sets during the fourth round of the Aussie Open, 6-2, 6-3.

Sharapova, simply had no answer for Petkovic in their match.

"There are many things that didn't work today," Sharapova said. "I didn't get my first breakpoint until it was a set and 5‑1. That's not the type of tennis I want to be playing, especially on the return. I mean, I didn't put any pressure on her serve whatsoever. I wasn't up Love‑30 or anything on her service games. That's not the way to play a match."

Petkovic, a rising star in women's tennis has disposed of two former No. 1 ranked players in her last two games: Sharapova and Venus Williams.  In the third round of the tournament, Petkovic had a relatively easy win over Williams, who had to withdraw with an injury after just four minutes into their match.

"Maria is such a great champion, it's just two or three points and she comes back, and she started playing so well in the last couple of games, so I was a little nervous," Petkovic said. "But I am happy I closed it out in the end."

Petkovic will play China's Li Na in the quarterfinals.

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Maria Sharapova: Sharapova Loses To Petkovic In Fourth Round of Australian Open

Maria Sharapova, a former Australian Open champion, fell in straight sets to German Andrea Petkovic, 6-2, 6-3.  Petkovic was well rested and simply outplayed Sharapova.

"There are many things that didn't work today," Sharapova said. "I didn't get my first breakpoint until it was a set and 5‑1. That's not the type of tennis I want to be playing, especially on the return. I mean, I didn't put any pressure on her serve whatsoever. I wasn't up Love‑30 or anything on her service games. That's not the way to play a match."

Petkovic, a rising star in women's tennis has disposed of two former No. 1 ranked players in her last two games: Sharapova and Venus Williams.  In the third round of the tournament, Petkovic had a relatively easy win over Williams, who had to withdraw with an injury after just four minutes into their match.

It was that easy third round win that most certainly allowed her to prepare and be well-rested against Sharapova.

"Maria is such a great champion, it's just two or three points and she comes back, and she started playing so well in the last couple of games, so I was a little nervous," Petkovic said. "But I am happy I closed it out in the end."

Petkovic will play China's Li Na in the quarterfinals.

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Francesca Shiavone: Sets Grand Slam Record For Playing In Longest Match

Francesca Schiavone, the No. 6 seed defeated No. 23 seed Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-4 1-6 16-14 in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open.

The match was timed at 4 hours and 44 minutes, setting the record for the longest major match in the Open era.

Darren Saligari writes: "The 30-game third set alone lasted exactly three hours, the two sets that preceded it 51 and 53 minutes respectively. If tennis can be likened to war, then this was a battle on a world scale."

"Was for me, fantastic," the 30-year-old Shiavone said. "When you're in a situation like this, every point is like a match point. You have to keep going. You know that physically you're tired. Mentally just keep going."

Shiavone will need to find a way to keep on going in the quarterfinals, she will face No. 1 seed Caroline Wozniacki. 

After the grueling record-setting match for Shiavone, she may be too fatigued to keep up with the 20-year-old Dane and could effectively make it easy for Wozniacki to maintain her top-ranking.  If Wozniacki advances to the Aussie's semifinals, she is ensured of keep her No. 1 spot in the world.

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Australian Open 2011: Roger Federer Makes History As He Reaches Quarterfinals

Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka, two Swiss men will meet in the Australian Open's quarterfinals for a historical matchup.  For the first time ever, two Swiss men will face each other in the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam in the Open era.

Federer defeated Tommy Robredo, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.  The win gives Federer his 27th consecutive quarterfinal appearance in a Grand Slam. "Federer added another record to his vast collection, matching Jimmy Connors' mark for consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinals appearances," writes the Associated Press.

Swiss countryman Wawrinka defeated American Andy Roddick in the fourth round of the Aussie, winning 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.  Wawrinka's win gave him his first ever Aussie quarterfinal berth and also knocked of the last American out of the the tournament.

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Andy Roddick: Roddick Falls To Wawrinka, Last American Out of Australian Open

Andy Roddick, has been knocked out of the Australian Open after losing to Stanislas Wawrinka, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Roddick's loss eliminated the last American from the tournament, on both the men's and women's side.  The American was near the top of the leaderboard for aces, Roddick ranked in second place with 76 aces, while Wawrinka was in fourth place with 54.

Wawrinka's win puts him in the quarterfinals to play against fellow Swiss countryman, Roger Federer.

The Associated Press is reporting that the Wawrinka and Federer match will be the first time two Swiss men have met in a Grand Slam quarterfinals, in the Open era.

Federer is the Australian Open's defending champion. 

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