Roger Federer, 2-time defending champ, upset at Australian Open
Stefanos Tsitsipas becomes the 1st player from Greece to reach the quarter-finals at a major
Two-time defending champion Roger Federer has been upset in the fourth round of the Australian Open by Stefanos Tsitsipas, who becomes the first player from Greece to reach the quarter-finals at a major.
Tsitsipas converted one of his three breakpoint chances in the match and fended off all 12 he faced to beat the 20-time major winner 6-7 (11), 7-6 (3), 7-5, 7-6 (5)
The 37-year-old Federer had a set point in 10th game of the second for a 2-0 lead but Tsitsipas saved it with a service winner.
WATCH | Tsitsipas ousts Federer to reach quarters
Federer has won the last two Australian titles and has six overall at Melbourne Park, a record he shares with top-ranked Novak Djokovic and Roy Emerson.
The 20-year-old Tsitsipas says "I'm the happiest person on earth right now." His best previous run at a major ended in a fourth-round exit at Wimbledon last year.
He will next play Roberto Bautista Agut, who beat 2018 runner-up Marin Cilic in five sets to reach the quarterfinals for the first time. Bautista Agut had lost in the fourth round nine times at Slams.
Nadal moves on
Second-seeded Rafael Nadal has swept to his 20th victory in 24 attempts over Tomas Berdych with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win to advance to the quarter-finals.
Nadal won the first nine games of the match and when Berdych finally got on the board in the 10th, the Czech player held his left arm up in mock celebration. Berdych came back strongly in the third set and had a set point in the 12th game before Nadal dominated the tiebreaker.
WATCH | Highlight's from Nadal's straight-sets victory
The last time the players met here in 2015 Berdych beat the Spaniard in straight sets to end a 17-match losing streak against Nadal.
It is the 11th time that Nadal has reached the quarterfinals here. He will next play 21-year-old American Frances Tiafoe.
Hometown favourite takes out Sharapova
Ash Barty's run at her home Grand Slam continued when she advanced to the quarter-finals with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 win over Maria Sharapova at Rod Laver Arena.
Barty opened the deciding set by breaking Sharapova's serve, helped by two of Sharapova 10 double-faults in the match. It came minutes after the capacity crowd booed Sharapova when she returned from a long break after the second set.
Barty broke 2008 champion Sharapova's serve again to lead 3-0, helped by two unforced errors by the Russian and went up 4-0 while holding serve with four straight points. Sharapova faced more break points in the next game but held serve, ending a winning streak of nine consecutive games by Barty.
Sharapova, who beat defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, broke Barty's serve in the next game and then closed to 4-3 in a game which included the point of the tournament — a 21-shot rally that included great gets by both players and ended with a wide backhand by Barty.
Barty was forced to save two break points in the next game, but held to go up 5-3. After Sharapova held in the next game, she saved one match point before Barty ended the 2-hour 22-minute match with an ace.
Kvitova dispatches upstart Anisimova
The Australian will next play two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who beat 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets in the preceding match on the same court.
The 28-year-old Kvitova wanted no part of another loss to Anisimova, who beat her last year at Indian Wells and was the youngest American since Jennifer Capriati in 1993 to make it this far at Melbourne Park.
It took 59 minutes to win 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday. Kvitova was the model of consistency that the two other seeded players previously vanquished by Anisimova — No. 24 Lesia Tsurenko and No. 11 Aryna Sabalenka — were not.
She's now on a nine-match winning streak, her four wins here come after a title run in Sydney last week, and is into the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.
"When I'm counting the years, it's pretty long," Kvitova said. "But, you know, sometimes the waiting time is worth for it. I'm not complaining at all."
Among other matches on Day 7, 17-time major winner Rafael Nadal is scheduled to play 2010 Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych, and six-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer will take on 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Kerber stunned
Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber was stunned 6-0, 6-2 by Danielle Collins of the U.S. in just 56 minutes.
Collins had an 0-5 career record in Grand Slam tournaments until this one. But she has now added an upset of No. 2 Kerber to earlier victories over a pair of seeded women, No. 14 Julia Goerges and No. 19 Caroline Garcia.
WATCH | Collins eliminates World No. 2 Kerber
Collins was the more aggressive player throughout and finished with a resounding 29-6 edge in total winners.
The former University of Virginia player will face 2017 U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.