Internet Desk : World number one and defending champion Serena Williams smacked down Margarita Gasparyan to sweep into an Australian Open quarter-final against Maria Sharapova today. The American top seed and 21-time Grand Slam winner wasted little energy in swatting aside the unseeded Russian 6-2, 6-1 in 55 minutes at Rod Laver Arena to set up the mouth-watering clash with her long-time rival.
Williams has won every game against Sharapova since 2004, including last year’s final at Melbourne Park.
Five-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova came through an epic 7-5, 7-5 battle against 12th seed Belinda Bencic immediately before Williams came on court.
Williams won three majors — the Australian and French Opens and Wimbledon — in 2015 which took her to within one of Graf’s long-time record of 22. Court holds the all-time Grand Slam record of 24.
The top seed claimed her first Australian Open title in 2003, beating sister Venus in the final, and reached her sixth last year when she toppled Sharapova.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic battled past Gilles Simon in a five set thriller 6-3 ,6-7(1) , 6-4 , 4-6 6-3 to reach the quarters . I t’s 27th straight major QF .
In another match Japanese star Kei Nishikori produced his best tennis of the tournament to breeze past former finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open today.
Seventh seed Nishikori won 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 in just over two hours on Hisense Arena and will face either world number one Novak Djokovic in the last eight.
It is Nishikori’s third Australian Open quarter-final and fifth overall in Grand Slams, one less than the Japanese record of six held by Jiro Satoh, who died in 1934.
Nishikori’s previous Slam encounters with the 2008 Australian finalist had both lasted five sets, but Tsonga was well beaten this time.
The lively Nishikori pounded the off-key Tsonga with five service breaks in their third Grand Slam meeting. The French ninth seed served eight double-faults and made 36 unforced errors in a flat performance.
It took Nishikori’s record over the Frenchman to 5-2 and improved his Australian Open record to 20-6. It also equalled Nishikori’s best result at the Australian Open after reaching the last eight in 2012 and last year.
Nishikori became the first Asian man to play in a Grand Slam final when he was runner-up to Marin Cilic at the 2014 US Open, defeating Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka along the way.
Nishikori trails Djokovic 2-5 in their overall head-to-head .