Tuesday 27 January 2015 07:11, UK
Defending men's champion Stan Wawrinka and women's top seed Serena Williams wiped away their French Open nightmares to advance to the quarter-finals on Australia Day.
Wawrinka and Williams were both upset on the Parisian clay court at last year's tournament, but ensured there were no such repeats on Melbourne's blue hardcourts against the same Spanish opponents.
Wawrinka was forced to fight to beat Guillermo Garcia-Lopez in four sets, while Williams overcame the hard-hitting Garbine Muguruza, who beat her in the second round at Roland Garros, 2-6 6-3 6-2.
"I had to play the best match of the tournament or else I was going to be out," Williams said. "When I have to go up a level, I have to. I can't afford to stay at the same level or I will be where I was at the French Open."
Did you know ... Williams hasn't advanced past the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park since winning her last title in 2010.
Back in May, Garcia-Lopez dumped out Wawrinka, ensuring the Swiss became the first Australian Open champion to lose in the first round at Roland Garros since Petr Korda in 1998.
Wawrinka said: "It was a real battle today. I was two sets up with a break and in the end I'm happy to get through.
There was a good level of tennis in general and it's good to make one more win."
Williams could meet her arch-rival Maria Sharapova in the final.
Fact ... Williams has a 16-2 record over Sharapova with the Russian's last win coming in 2004.
Spanish prospect Garbine Muguruza said it was time for the new generation of younger players to step up after narrowly losing to Serena Williams.
The 21-year-old, who has risen through the rankings since 2010 to current world No 21, took the first set off the American before the top seed's experience came into play.
But Muguruza, who won her first WTA title last year and produced big wins over Williams and Caroline Wozniacki, said she was encouraged by what she was seeing from younger players at the Australian Open.
"Well, I think now is like a change in the generation," she said.
"You just have to look the draw and see Madison (Keys), Genie (Bouchard) and me, other young girls in the third and fourth round.
"You see the rankings, the girls born in the 90s are a lot more than before. I think it's time for a change."
US Open finalist Kei Nishikori ground out a straight sets win over David Ferrer to set up a meeting against Wawrinka for a place in the semi-finals.
The Japanese superstar won 6-3 6-3 6-3 to reach his second quarter-final in Melbourne and his third overall under coach and former French Open champion Michael Chang.
"He's a tough, tough player. He improved a lot last year," Wawrinka said of Nishikori. "He's a great shotmaker, he can make winners. He doesn't give you a lot of time."
Did you know ... it was Nishikori's fifth consecutive victory over the tenacious Spanish baseliner and improved his record against him to 7-3.
Williams will now meet last year's beaten finalist Dominika Cibulkova who outslugged Azarenka under the closed roof on Rod Laver Arena.
The fiesty Cibulkova proved that last year's run to the final was not a fluke in her 6-2 3-6 6-3 victory over the 2012 and 2013 champion with her all energy style, constantly buzzing around court, hitting big forehands and putting Azarenka on the back foot.
"I don't have a big serve obviously ... so I just put a lot of energy in my tennis (and) I go for my winners," the 11th seed said. "Today was extremely, extremely good match from my side."
It was the Belarusian's earliest exit at Melbourne Park since she lost at the same stage in 2011 to China's Li Na, though after an injury-plagued 2014 the unseeded 25-year-old was pleased with her progress in her comeback.
World No 1 Novak Djokovic eased past unseeded Gilles Muller of Luxembourg a 6-4 7-5 7-5 to reach the quarter-finals for a 23rd straight Grand Slam.
The Serb will next tackle Canadian eighth seed Milos Raonic, who defeated Spanish 12th seed Feliciano Lopez, 6-4 4-6 6-3 6-7 (7-9) 6-3.
American teenager Madison Keys joined Williams in the quarter-finals after she hammered namesake Madison Brengle 6-2 6-4.
Brengle had said before the match the pair had joked 'there can be only one' Madison if they ever met each other.
She will next meet veteran Venus Williams, who reached the final eight of a major for the first time since 2010, as the 34-year-old rolled back the years to down Polish sixth seed Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 2-6 6-1.
Did you know .... the clash was also the first time since 2002 that two American women not named Williams had met this deep in a Grand Slam.
And ... Venus booked her place in a first Grand Slam quarter-final since the 2010 US Open.
Andy Murray takes his proud 10-0 record against Australian opponents into his quarter-final clash against home hope Nick Kyrgios on Tuesday.
The match is scheduled on Rod Laver Arena in the evening (from around 8:30am GMT) in what is bound to be a partisan atmosphere.
The British No 1 bristled at suggestions he might disappoint the Australian crowd if he beats the teenager. "I plan on trying to beat Nick. I'm not planning on trying to break anybody's hearts," Murray says. "This is tennis. This is sport."
