Australian Open 2015 Results: Winners, Scores, Stats from Day 8 Singles Bracket
The re-emergence of tournament favorites continued Monday, as the 2015 Australian Open trudged along into the quarterfinal round with the conclusion of Day 8.
With the action in Melbourne transitioning into the second week and the quality of play heating up dramatically, some top seeds didn't have it easy. No. 1 Serena Williams nearly faced elimination before rallying to win in three sets, while No. 4 Stan Wawrinka was pushed to four sets by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
But the road to the final eight didn't prove as worrisome for the likes of top-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 5 Kei Nishikori, who outlasted elite opposition to move onto the quarters. Just as well, a couple of feel-good stories are still in the hunt with No. 18 Venus Williams and unseeded Madison Keys advancing on.
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Here's a complete look at the Day 8 results and a recap of the biggest matches.
| No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Gilles Muller | 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 |
| No. 4 Stan Wawrinka def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez | 7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8) |
| No. 5 Kei Nishikori def. No. 9 David Ferrer | 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 |
| No. 8 Milos Raonic def. No. 12 Feliciano Lopez | 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 |
| No. 1 Serena Williams def. No. 24 Garbine Muguruza | 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| No. 18 Venus Williams def. No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska | 6-3- 2-6, 6-1 |
| No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova def. Victoria Azarenka | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| Madison Keys def. Madison Brengle | 6-2, 6-4 |
Note: Complete Day 8 results are available at AusOpen.com.
Top Scores from Day 8
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Gilles Muller
Djokovic continues to perform better and better every time he steps out on the court in Melbourne.
The top-seeded men's star kept that rolling Monday, cruising past the overmatched Gilles Muller in a straight-set showing. Although it didn't come against a high-seeded foe, the way Djokovic won this one indicated he could be on a collision course with the final.
While Muller didn't make anything easy on him by winning at least four games in each set and 73 percent of his first serves, what Djokovic did in response left no chance for Muller. Somehow, Djokovic only committed 16 unforced errors and also impressed with his serve, crushing 13 aces.
The lopsided win made him perfect through four rounds, which ESPN Tennis noted isn't an unfamiliar sight for the Serbian:
"It's 8th time in his career that Djokovic has reached a Slam QF without dropping a set, and 3rd time here in Melbourne.
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 26, 2015"
Djokovic might not be able to hope for continuing that streak of consecutive sets against eighth-seeded Milos Raonic in the quarters, but it would be far from wise to bet against him after the form he's shown thus far in Melbourne. If he keeps this up, not one men's player will be able to keep him from Australian Open title No. 4.
No. 1 Serena Williams def. No. 24 Garbine Muguruza
Revenge was in order for top-seeded Serena Williams, who overcame the foe she lost to in the 2014 French Open by toppling No. 24 Garbine Muguruza to advance to the quarterfinals.
But as she learned very early on, exacting said revenge didn't prove to be an easy task. Williams dropped the opening set 2-6, putting her back against the wall and needing the final two sets to win.
It didn't take her long to turn the tables, using her massive 17-4 advantage in aces to help distance herself from the dangerous Spaniard. Hitting 78 percent of her first serves, Williams became unstoppable.
Even after notching the same amount of unforced errors (35) as her opponent, Williams cruised in the final set en route to the win. But perhaps it was the advice of the gallery that made the difference, as the Australian Open Twitter account shared:
The road only gets tougher for Williams, who faces No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova in the quarterfinals. But after overcoming yet another dangerous test Monday, Williams will be confident of her chances.
No. 4 Stan Wawrinka def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez
Defending Australian Open champion and No. 4 seed Wawrinka won't be overlooked in Week 2 of the tournament—at least he shouldn't be after a four-set drubbing of Garcia-Lopez Monday afternoon.
Wawrinka was put to the test early as Garcia-Lopez refused to be broken, but the Swiss maestro's service prowess allowed him to build an edge. He hit 15 aces to his opponent's five.
But as the momentum continued to shift in Wawrinka's favor, it was his incredibly aggressive play that pushed it further in his direction. He hit a whopping 70 winners to Garcia-Lopez's 34, allowing him to overcome an incredible 61 unforced errors (Garcia-Lopez had just 32).
As if that isn't impressive enough, take a look at the deficit Wawrinka climbed out of to avoid a fifth set, per Tennis Panorama News:
Wawrinka's name hasn't been spoken enough when it comes to the men's favorites, with the likes of Djokovic, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal being mentioned breaths before him. He won't mind that very much if his play continues to impress as much as it did Monday.
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