| Place: Melbourne Park Dates: January 16-29 |
| protection: Commentary day-after-day from 07:00 BST on BBC Radio 5 Sports activities Additional ‘Tennis Breakfast’ stay from Melbourne, with chosen stay textual content commentary and match experiences on the BBC Sport web site and app |
High seed Iga Swiatek will miss the Australian Open after dropping to Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina within the fourth spherical.
Rybakina, ranked twenty second, has struggled to duplicate the performances that noticed her win on the All England Membership in July.
Towards Swiatek, nonetheless, the Kazakh as soon as once more confirmed how she thrives on the large stage, enjoying with confidence and energy within the 6-4 6-4 win at Melbourne Park.
Lower than half an hour later, Coco Gauff was down by a rating of 7-5, 6-3 Yelena Ostapenko.
The seventh-seeded American, 18, was among the many favorites to win the title, however he beat the seventeenth-seeded Latvian.
Rybakina, 23, will play former French Open champion Ostapenko within the quarter-finals as a substitute of the match between Swatek and Gauff that many anticipated.
“I get nervous each time I am on the court docket however I attempt to be calm,” Rybakina stated. “It is a huge win and I am glad to be in for one more spherical.”
The third workbook Jessica PegulaThe very best-ranked participant within the ladies’s draw got here 7-5 6-2 over Czech Barbora Kreczkova.
She might face American Victoria Azarenka, twice champion in MelbourneWithin the quarter-finals if Azarenka beats Zhou Lin afterward Sunday.
Swiatek “needed it a lot”
Poland’s Swiatek rose to the highest of the world rankings final yr after the retirement of Australian Ashleigh Barty, successful the French Open and US Open titles as she dominated the WTA event.
She reached the semifinals in Melbourne final yr and, after a stellar 2022, is again with the objective of being the primary girl since Serena Williams in 2015 to assert three main titles.
“I felt like I took a step backwards by way of the best way I method these tournaments and possibly I want it have been slightly robust,” she stated.
“So I’ll attempt to calm down a bit extra.”
Rybakina’s success has been extra sporadic. Between claiming tennis’ most prestigious title and beginning this yr’s Australian Open, she’s solely gained 14 of her 24 matches and has spoken out in regards to the lack of recognition she feels she’s been given.
She additionally struggled with troublesome attracts, along with her world rating coming in decrease than anticipated after that Not receiving any factors For her victory at Wimbledon.
However she made one other spectacular assertion at Melbourne Park, reaching the final eight for the primary time with a dominant victory over Swatik.
The pair traded breaks early within the opening set earlier than a double fault from Swiatek at 3-3 gave Rybakina one other likelihood, which she took benefit of with an enormous cross-court backhand win.
Assured holding on to like sealed the one-set benefit, however Swiatek improved early within the second set and moved right into a 3-0 lead.
Rybakina fought again rapidly and leveled at 3-3 as Swiatek struggled to cope with her large serve.
She dropped simply six factors on her first serve of the match and scored a formidable efficiency to safe victory after breaking 5-4.
Rybakina says she is not “upset” about not getting rating factors at Wimbledon, however enhancing her world standings is a supply of motivation in Melbourne.
“Positive, that is motivation, however like I stated earlier than, I need to win each event, and regardless of the factors, there aren’t any factors,” she stated.
“I really like competitors, regardless of the place I play. Proper now, I might say I do not actually take a look at these items.”
Ostapenko by no means doubted that she might win in one other self-discipline
Ostapenko grew to become a French Open teen champion almost six years in the past, however the lack of deep runs since then has many shrugging off her as one of many wonders of success.
Nevertheless, towards Gauff she confirmed robust placing and aggressiveness which led her to the Roland Garros title in 2017.
Ostapenko scored 30 winners when she broke Gauff’s serve 3 times and likewise saved seven of the American’s eight break alternatives.
Though it is the primary time since Wimbledon in 2018 that Ostapenko has reached a serious quarter-final, the 25-year-old says she “truthfully did not actually doubt” she might win once more.
“My life has modified rather a lot, so I wanted a number of years to actually get used to what occurred as a result of I used to be actually younger,” stated Ostapenko, who has by no means made it previous flip three at Melbourne Park.
“I at all times knew and believed in my recreation. If I play nicely I can beat nearly anybody.
“I have been attempting to work extra on my consistency, particularly within the pre-season, simply to get on the sector and play my recreation.”
Gauff had not dropped a set in her earlier three matches, together with a second-round win over British high seed Emma Raducano.
The younger prodigy, who misplaced to Swatik within the French Open remaining final yr, bought emotional throughout her press convention as her await a serious prize continues.
“I believe each loss is kind of below my management as a result of I really feel like I am a superb participant, however in the present day she performed higher,” Gauff stated.
“There have been moments within the match the place I used to be pissed off as a result of I can often work it out, however I really feel like I did not have a lot of a solution for what she was doing.
“There have been a number of issues I might have improved on, however total I believe she deserved to win.”