via Imago
Tomas Berdych
via Imago
Tomas Berdych
Two men and two women punched their tickets to the 2015 Australian Open semifinals on Day 9, but one of the all-time greats faced a rather humiliating defeat and exited the competition.
Men’s No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych took down the third-seeded Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, winning 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). It was an absolutely dominant performance by Berdych for much of the match. In 17 previous matches against Rafael Nadal, through almost 10 years of competition, Berdych had been unable to beat the mighty Spaniard. Should he lose once more, his would become the tour’s longest losing streak. Such was the shock not just at the loss but at the style and the margin of the defeat, that Nadal was asked if he felt unwell: “No. I am feeling OK. Just was not my day. I didn’t play with the right intensity, with the right rhythm, and the opponent played better than me.”
With the win, Berdych advanced to the semifinals, where he’ll take on No. 6 seed Andy Murray.
Andy Murray reached the Australian Open semi-finals with a convincing 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 victory over Nick Kyrgios. “It was a tricky match. I tried to start as quickly aspossible because i know how dangerous Nick is. I’ve followed him. I know what he’s capable of. I wasn’t going to underestimate him at all. He’s a huge hitter so I tried to keep it out of his strike zone but it was very windy so if you use the slice and keep the ball low, it makes it very tricky.” Murray said. It was a tactically perfect match from Andy Murray and he is looking very good indeed. He spooked Kyrgios with his slice and careful shot-making, he served expertly and he came up with the goods when he needed to, especially with those two lobs in the second-set tie-break. Kyrgios gave it his best shot and he has a big future, but this was a step too far for him.
The top seed, Novak Djokovic, is still in the tournament and is obviously the heavy favorite with both Nadal and Roger Federer, the No. 2 seed, out. Djokovic will face No. 8 seed Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, Sharapova moved closer to another Australian Open title, defeating 20-year-old Bouchard 6-3, 6-2.The Russian made all the big points look easy and advanced to play Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.
“When I did have a few slips I was able to come out with great first serves or really powerful returns.”
Canadian Bouchard, who has not beaten Sharapova in four attempts and made 30 unforced errors on Tuesday, added: “I felt under pressure the whole time, a bit on my back foot. “That’s not how I want to play. I feel like I didn’t start well, and it kind of all went downhill from there.”
The other women’s semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Serena Williams plays last year’s finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.RESULTS:-Australian Open 2015
Men’s Singles – Quarter-Finals
Andy Murray [6](GBR) beat Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
6-3 7-6(5) 6-3
Tomas Berdych [7](CZE) beat Rafael Nadal [3](ESP)
6-2 6-0 7-6(5)
Women’s Singles – Quarter-Finals
Maria Sharapova [2](RUS) beat Eugenie Bouchard [7](CAN)
6-3 6-2
Ekaterina Makarova [10](RUS) beat Simona Halep [3](ROU)
6-4 6-0SCHEDULE FOR DAY 10
Men’s No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych took down the third-seeded Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, winning 6-2, 6-0, 7-6 (7-5). It was an absolutely dominant performance by Berdych for much of the match. In 17 previous matches against Rafael Nadal, through almost 10 years of competition, Berdych had been unable to beat the mighty Spaniard. Should he lose once more, his would become the tour’s longest losing streak. Such was the shock not just at the loss but at the style and the margin of the defeat, that Nadal was asked if he felt unwell: “No. I am feeling OK. Just was not my day. I didn’t play with the right intensity, with the right rhythm, and the opponent played better than me.”
With the win, Berdych advanced to the semifinals, where he’ll take on No. 6 seed Andy Murray.
The top seed, Novak Djokovic, is still in the tournament and is obviously the heavy favorite with both Nadal and Roger Federer, the No. 2 seed, out. Djokovic will face No. 8 seed Milos Raonic in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, in the women’s singles, Sharapova moved closer to another Australian Open title, defeating 20-year-old Bouchard 6-3, 6-2.The Russian made all the big points look easy and advanced to play Makarova, who earlier beat third-seeded Simona Halep 6-4, 6-0.
“When I did have a few slips I was able to come out with great first serves or really powerful returns.”
Canadian Bouchard, who has not beaten Sharapova in four attempts and made 30 unforced errors on Tuesday, added: “I felt under pressure the whole time, a bit on my back foot. “That’s not how I want to play. I feel like I didn’t start well, and it kind of all went downhill from there.”
The other women’s semifinalists will be determined on Wednesday when No. 1-ranked Serena Williams plays last year’s finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, and Venus Williams, playing in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal in nearly five years, takes on 19-year-old American Madison Keys.RESULTS:-Australian Open 2015
Men’s Singles – Quarter-Finals
Andy Murray [6](GBR) beat Nick Kyrgios (AUS)
6-3 7-6(5) 6-3
Tomas Berdych [7](CZE) beat Rafael Nadal [3](ESP)
6-2 6-0 7-6(5)
Women’s Singles – Quarter-Finals
Maria Sharapova [2](RUS) beat Eugenie Bouchard [7](CAN)
6-3 6-2
Ekaterina Makarova [10](RUS) beat Simona Halep [3](ROU)
6-4 6-0SCHEDULE FOR DAY 10
| Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals |
| Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] vs. Milos Raonic (CAN) [8] |
| Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals | |
| Madison Keys (USA) vs. Venus Williams (USA) [18] |
| Not Before: 12:30pm Women’s Singles – Quarterfinals | |
| Serena Williams (USA) [1] vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) [11] |
| Not Before: 2:00pm Men’s Singles – Quarterfinals |
| Stan Wawrinka (SUI) [4] vs. Kei Nishikori (JPN) [5] |
