Australian Open 2018: Day 7 round-up
Day 7 saw the start of the fourth round matches.
Rafael Nadal reached the quarter-finals with a hard-fought victory over Diego Schwartzman 6-3. 6-7(4). 6-3. 6-3. The Argentinian fought back in the second set breaking Nadal three times on the way to clinching the set in a tiebreak becoming the first person to take a set off the Spaniard. Nadal saved 15 other break points during the match. Next up for Nadal is Marin Cilic. The match promises to be a tight one. Cilic earned that honour by beating Pablo Carreno Busta in 4 sets 6-7(2), 6-3, 7-6(0), 7-6(3). This will be the second time that Cilic has reached the quarter-finals in Australia.
Grigor Dmitrov and Nick Kyrgios had the match of the day in 4 closely contested sets. Both players put on a show with great serves and fantastic shot-making with 3 sets going to tiebreaks. In the end, Dimitrov proved the stronger player winning 7-6(3), 7-6(4), 4-6, 7-6(4). There was no break of serve in the first set. The pair exchanged breaks in the second set. Kyrgios took the only break in the third set and they again exchanged breaks in the fourth. Dimitrov was serving for the match at 5-3 but could not hold his serve. Dimitrov will take on Britain's Kyle Edmund in the quarter-final. Edmund reached his first Grand Slam quarter-final by beating veteran Andreas Seppi 6-7(4), 7-5, 6-2, 6-3. Seppi's Grand Slam quarter-final drought continues. He has not reached the quarter-finals in 57 attempts.
On the ladies side, Caroline Wozniacki reached the quarter-finals for the first time since 2012 with an easy win over Magdalena Rybarikova 6-3, 6-0. She will play unseeded Carla Suarez Navarro who got past Anett Kontaveit 4-6, 6-4, 8-6. Kontaveit served at 4-1 in the second set but Navarro broke and then reeled off the next 4 games. She also served for the match at 5-4 in the third but could not close it out. Navarro won on her third match point. This is the third time Navarro has reached the quarter-finals. She has never progressed beyond the quarter-finals in a Grand Slam.
Elise Mertens, another unseeded player, got past Petra Martic 7-6(4), 7-5. She becomes the first Belgian since Kim Clijsters in 2012 to reach the quarter-finals. She will next take on the winner of the Elina Svitolina and Denisa Allertovas match.