Australian Open 2016: Results, Highlights, Tuesday Scores Recap from Melbourne
Four players punched their respective tickets into the semifinals on Day 9 at the Australian Open, and there were no surprises as all the top contenders in action kept their title hopes alive.
Both No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 3 Roger Federer made fairly quick work of their opponents, while No. 1 Serena Williams continued her dominance over No. 5 Maria Sharapova on the women's side. Also, No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska was victorious, which sets up the unenviable task of facing Serena in the semifinals.
With one half of the semifinal equation set in both the men's and women's draws, here is a look at how Tuesday's quarterfinal matches played out.
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Day 9 Men's Singles Results
| Quarterfinals | (1) Novak Djokovic | (7) Kei Nishikori | 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 |
| Quarterfinals | (3) Roger Federer | (6) Tomas Berdych | 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4 |
Day 9 Women's Singles Results
| Quarterfinals | (1) Serena Williams | (5) Maria Sharapova | 6-4, 6-1 |
| Quarterfinals | (4) Agnieszka Radwanska | (10) Carla Suarez Navarro | 6-1, 6-3 |
Serena Crushes Sharapova
Williams hadn't lost to Sharapova since 2004 entering their quarterfinal meeting, and that remarkable streak remained intact by virtue of the American's 6-4, 6-1 triumph.
Serena has now defeated her Russian counterpart on 18 consecutive occasions, and she apparently did it despite not being 100 percent from a health perspective.
According to Nick McCarvel of USA Today, coach Patrick Mouratoglou claimed that the world No. 1 struggled through the opening set of the match due to feeling under the weather:
Williams was able to battle and win the first set 6-4 before totally taking over the match in the second and very nearly forcing Sharapova to put up a bagel.
Serena cracked 13 aces and 31 winners over the course of the match, and she was especially efficient when she decided to come forward as evidenced by the fact that she converted eight of her 11 attempts at the net.
Per McCarvel, Sharapova was still searching for answers after she dropped yet another big match to perhaps the greatest player in the history of women's tennis:
The burden now falls on Radwanska to knock off Williams, as she made fairly quick work of No. 10 Carla Suarez Navarro in the other women's quarterfinal contested on Day 9.
For as much as Sharapova has struggled against Serena over the years, Radwanska has fared even worse in her eight meetings with the 21-time Grand Slam champion, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
There were question marks surrounding Williams entering the tournament since she hadn't played much during the lead up to the Australian Open, but she has answered them emphatically thus far.
Assuming she is able to defeat Radwanska as expected, all signs point toward a final showdown with two-time Aussie Open champion Victoria Azarenka.
That is likely the biggest possible challenge Serena could face based on how well Azarenka has played in Melbourne, but Tuesday's thrashing of Sharapova proved that Williams is still the player to beat.
Djokovic Eases Past Nishikori
After winning three Grand Slam titles in 2015, Djokovic put himself in a fine position to win the first of 2016 with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory over No. 7 Kei Nishikori Tuesday.
Djoker was very nearly upset in the fourth round by Gilles Simon, as he was pushed to a decisive fifth set, but he was able to put that behind him quickly and return to dominant form in time for the quarterfinals.
Nole played quite poorly against Simon despite managing to pull off the win, but rather than dwelling on his struggles, the Serb fell back on his lengthy track record of success, according to Live Tennis:
"#Djokovic says he didn't practice yesterday after hitting 100 UFEs vs Simon. 'Sometimes less is more.' pic.twitter.com/G5sKtU64sA
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) January 26, 2016"
After thoroughly controlling the match against Nishikori, any concerns regarding Djokovic's form seem to be gone.
He cut his unforced errors down significantly from 100 to just 27, and he was actually better on his second serve than his first, which is a rare feat in top-level tennis.
Considering how big of a turnaround Djoker enjoyed from the fourth round to the quarters, he seemed quite happy with his showing during the post-match interview, per the Australian Open's official Twitter account:
While Nishikori never posed a challenge, the matches figure to get much tougher over the next two rounds. In addition to a semifinal match against Federer that is already set in stone, a potential finals clash with No. 2 Andy Murray awaits.
There is no question that Djokovic is the No. 1 men's player in the world based on what he has accomplished over the past year, but he showed in the fourth round that he isn't immune to poor performances.
If he plays like he did against Nishikori rather than the way he did against Simon, though, a sixth career Australian Open title is very much there for the taking.
Federer Dominates Berdych
Like Djokovic, Federer needed only three sets to make his way into the semifinals, as he took down No. 6 Tomas Berdych 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-4 in a vintage performance.
The Swiss star was seemingly firing on all cylinders with 48 winners and an 83 percent success rate on both his first serve and his net attempts. Although his Czech opponent looked game in the opening set, it was all downhill for Berdych after dropping the initial tiebreak.
With the win, Fed advanced to his 12th career Aussie Open semifinal, and he extended his impressive record for most Grand Slam semis reached in the Open Era, according to Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:
While Federer has done well to get to this point on a consistent basis over the years, finishing the job and winning a Grand Slam title is something he hasn't pulled off since 2012 at Wimbledon.
Even so, Fed has excelled against other top players since 2014 after struggling in the previous five years, per Carl Bialik of ESPN's FiveThirtyEight:
He and Djokovic have been quite evenly matched over the years as evidenced by their career head-to-head record of 22-22.
While they are 2-2 in their last four meetings, there is no question that Djoker has gotten the better of Fed in big matches recently, having won each of their past three Grand Slam encounters.
Despite continuing to be one of the best players in the world, Federer's chances to add to his Grand Slam championship total may be dwindling.
He is 34 years of age, and although he isn't showing any signs of slowing down, the time will inevitably come when Federer's play drops off.
That hasn't happened yet, which is why he needs to strike while the iron is hot. Beating Djokovic is only one half of the equation, but doing so would undoubtedly give Fed a ton of confidence and install him as the favorite to win it all Down Under.
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