MELBOURNE: On Monday, qualifier Dayana Yastremska and giant-killer Linda Noskova carried on their incredible journeys into the Australian Open quarterfinals, but on the men’s side, Carlos Alcaraz guided three of the top seeds to victory.
At Melbourne Park, Alcaraz made history by charging past Miomir Kecmanovic to make it to the final eight. However, having won two Grand Slam titles, the 20-year-old second seed is no stranger to the business end of major tournaments.
Both sixth seed Zverev, who defeated Cameron Norrie 7-5, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6(3) in a super-tiebreak, and former US Open champion Medvedev, who defeated Nuno Borges 6-3, 7-6(4), 5-7, and 6-1, are also in the running.
Alcaraz defeated Kecmanovic 6-4, 6-4, 6-0, and looked fantastic in the process. This victory moved him one step closer to his ideal matchup against another Serb, 10-time champion Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz declared, “I did everything almost perfectly.” “Every day I feel better and better. With every game, I feel better and better. I will attempt to utilize my level of play and confidence as an advantage.
Over the past nine days at Melbourne Park, the men’s seedings have remained relatively stable, but the women’s draw has seen upset after upset, leaving the field nearly completely devoid of seeds.
Yastremska fulfilled her role in the first round, eliminating Marketa Vondrousova, the Wimbledon champion, and adding a former Grand Slam champion to her list of victims when she defeated Victoria Azarenka, the 18th seed, 7-6(6), 6-4.
The two-time Melbourne Park champion required the world number 93 to battle her way to victory as she overcame deficits in both sets and defeated 38 winners on Rod Laver Arena.
The 23-year-old stated, “I thought I had lost this match 25 times.” “There were times when I thought I was too emotional and anxious, but eventually I just calmed down and told myself that everything would work out as it would.”
