Garbine Muguruza’s rapid rise to the No. 3 ranking sharpened the focus on her run in Australia, attention which only increased after No. 2-ranked Simona Halep and No. 8 Venus Williams lost in the first round.
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Despite being seeded 14th, Azarenka shapes as the biggest title threat to world No. 1 Serena Williams.
A hold to love suggested Muguruza had found her rhythm but Strycova’s canny net play helped her to cope with the raw power from the third seed to close out a 6-3 opener.
Ivanovic won the first set against American Madison Keys 6-4 and was ahead on serve 1-0 in the second when play was stopped.
Sharapova took a bathroom break before the third set and returned with more composure, making just five unforced errors and breaking Davis three times. The 29-year-old will await the victor of Victoria Azarenka and Naomi Osaka.
Strycova, who has previously made the fourth round of a Grand Slam just once in her 13-year career on tour, said she had mentally prepared ahead of facing the third seed.
Azarenka has been in stunning form to start the year, yet to lose more than three games in a set in eight wins in 2016. “I just wanted to qualify. The score doesn’t really say pretty much the whole story sometimes”, Azarenka said.
“I’m just going to go in there happy and hopefully try to pull off an upset”.
“Like being able to adjust to how she was playing”. She was unpredictable and surprised me with her game. “I had one shot to get out of where I am, so that was way more pressure than I’m having pressure right now”.
At the end of her surprising rally to the third round, Osaka was upbeat and ambitious about her goals. She is performing even better here, including her double-bagel win over Alison Van Uytvanck in the first round.
Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open champion, will face Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic on Saturday at Rod Laver Arena. “She was being smart”, Muguruza told reporters.
“Today’s victory was for that community, and a quick recovery and all of Canada, and I’m sure the world is behind you”, he said. “I know that if I play good, then maybe I can win”. “Didn’t really find my game”, she said. Strycova, on the other hand, also scored straight-set victories against 32nd seed Caroline Garcia and Vania King in the first and second rounds, respectively.
“That’s why I think I won today”.
Murray’s wife, Kim, is due to give birth to their first child next month, and the two-time major victor said he’d miss a match in any round to be there if she goes into labor.
As in all sports, tennis players regularly hide behind empty cliches about hard work and taking things one day at a time, which is why it’s especially refreshing to hear Osaka speak so honestly to reporters.
“But Victoria is very, very good”. “I was serving very well, and the plan was to play my game, mix it a little bit, but to play deep”.
Some players go for a banana in those moments, but not Davis.
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With a roundhouse forehand victor, Azarenka closed out the 6-1, 6-1 win in just under an hour. Azarenka will take on Strycova in the Round of 16, and is the favorite in the bottom half of the draw to make it to the finals.
