Australian Open 2015 Results: Day 8 Scores and Day 9 Bracket Predictions
The 2015 Australian Open hasn't exactly been predictable to this point. After all, we witnessed the early departures of top stars like Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, John Isner and Petra Kvitova before the round of 16 began. As it turned out, Day 8 would be no exception.
While the majority of favorites emerged victorious, several were heavily tested. No. 1 Serena Williams was forced to fight her way back after dropping the first set to Garbine Muguruza, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka needed an impressive tiebreak to take down Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 8 Milos Raonic was pushed to the brink by No. 12 Feliciano Lopez.
After all of that, American Venus Williams forged the lone upset of the day, taking down No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets to advance to the quarterfinal along with her sister.
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A thrilling Day 8 only paves the way to what is poised to be an epic Day 9, as four compelling showdowns comprise a captivating slate. Before the action begins once again, here's a glance back at the Day 8 results and a look ahead to Day 9.
Day 8 Scores
| No. 8 Milos Raonic def. No. 12 Feliciano Lopez | 6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3 |
| 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. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Gilles Muller | 6-4, 7-5, 7-5 |
| No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova def. Victoria Azarenka | 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 |
| No. 1 Serena Williams def. No. 24 Gabrine Muguruza | 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 |
| Madison Keys def. Madison Brengle | 6-2, 6-4 |
| No. 18 Venus Williams def. No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska | 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 |
All Day 8 scores courtesy of the Australian Open's official website.
Day 9 Predictions
(7) Tomas Berdych vs. (3) Rafael Nadal
Following a bit of a scare in Round 2, Nadal has been lights-out, winning his next two matches in consecutive sets. The Spaniard has been extremely efficient of late, as a combination of accurate serves, aggressiveness and limited errors have translated to victories.
Nadal's round of 16 win over Kevin Anderson combined all of these elements. He won 78 percent of his first-serve points, an impressive 16 of his 18 net points and hung tough, winning four of his six break points while accumulating 25 unforced errors.
The No. 3 seed's ability to adapt to his opponent is the biggest reason for his success. After a sluggish start in the return game against Anderson, Nadal was able to figure out his opponent's serve and finish the match winning 33 percent of his receiving points. He explained his adjustment during a press conference with AUSOpen.com:
"I don't know if you saw that, but I changed completely the position on the return. I was returning very close to the baseline. Is easier to start more aggressive and make the transition aggressive to defensive than defensive to aggressive. So is something that I talk before the match, and we decided to go close to the baseline in the beginning. Then if was not working, try to play more points. I had that feeling that I need to make him feel that he needs to play a winner to win the point, no? Because before my feeling was he was winning too many points only with the serve. So I tried to change that at the end of the first set.
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Nadal will need to continue that trend if he is to take down the red-hot Berdych on Day 9.
The Czech has been on fire in Melbourne, winning in straight sets in each of his four matches. A hard-hitting, aggressive player, Berdych flourishes by applying constant pressure and wearing down his opponent throughout the match. That was exactly the case when he defeated Bernard Tomic in Round 4.
Berdych's stellar serve was well on display, as he tallied 17 aces and won 85 percent of his first-serve points. Adding to his fierce playing style is his ability to approach the net with authority. He picked his spots well against Tomic, and winning 13 of his 15 net points was the end result.
While Berdych has been playing very well, he simply hasn't been able to keep up with the smart play of Nadal in recent years. In fact, the Spaniard has won every meeting since they faced off in Madrid back in 2006. Expect Berdych to give Nadal a run for his money, but the versatility of the No. 3 seed will prevail.
Prediction: Nadal wins in four sets
(7) Eugenie Bouchard vs. (2) Maria Sharapova
Sharapova continues to be one of tennis' brightest stars. She plays an extremely well-rounded game, combining a nice serve with fantastic athleticism and great accuracy to take advantage of opponents' weaknesses and limit her own unforced errors.
That was evident in the round of 16 against No. 21 Shuai Peng. Despite struggling to keep her first serve in play, Sharapova made the most of them, winning 16 of her 22 first-serve points. She was phenomenal on the volley, winning 67 percent of the match's medium rallies, and she won all five of her net points.
Not only did Sharapova's accuracy limit her to just 15 unforced errors, but she ran her opponent around the court, forcing Peng to commit 29 unforced errors of her own.
Sharapova's brilliant play only adds to her comfort level in Melbourne. She explained why she's had so much success in Australia during a press conference, via AUSOpen.com:
"Because of a particular place? Arena? Absolutely. I've had some of my greatest memories in Australia. I think consistency-wise it's one of Grand Slams where I've done the best as well. I've always loved playing here ever since the juniors. I remember losing in the final and walking away and wishing I would be able to play on Rod Laver someday and not on Court 3. But, yeah, I've had a lot of tough memories as well and tough matches losses, but I've created some really good ones. I think when you go out there and have a chance to play on those big show courts, it brings all that back.
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That kind of motivation will only make things increasingly difficult for Bouchard on Day 9.
Although, don't expect Sharapova to run away with this one. The No. 7 seed is playing some very solid tennis right now, dropping just one set in her four matches in the Australian Open. Bouchard does play in a similar style to Sharapova, using her accuracy to continuously move her opponents around the court; however, she hasn't been quite as consistent.
In Round 3, Bouchard put on a clinic against Caroline Garcia, winning in consecutive sets after winning 59 percent of her first-serve points, 57 percent of her receiving points and keeping her unforced errors to just 17. Although, that changed in Round 4 against Irina-Camelia Begu.
Bouchard dropped her first set of the tournament in that contest due to a high amount of unforced errors. The Canadian tallied 42 hiccups, 22 of them coming in the second set. Still, she remained solid in all other aspects of the game, winning 69 percent of her first-serve points, 53 percent of her receiving points and seven of her 10 net points.
Consistency will be key in this contest, and if Bouchard can maintain her form while limiting unforced errors, she will have a chance to upset Sharapova. However, it's difficult to bet against the Russian and her past Australian Open success.
Prediction: Sharapova wins in three sets
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