MELBOURNE, Jan 24 (Reuters) – Highlights of the seventh day at the Australian Open on Saturday (times GMT):
1125 RYBAKINA BEATS VALENTOVA
Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina cruised past Czech Republic’s Tereza Valentova 6-2 6-3 as the fifth seed from Kazakhstan set up a fourth-round clash with Belgian 21st seed Elise Mertens.
1059 DJOKOVIC REACHES FOURTH ROUND
Fourth seed Novak Djokovic beat error-prone Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp 6-3 6-4 7-6(4) to reach the fourth round, as the 38-year-old Serbian continued his pursuit of a record 25th Grand Slam title.
0957 SWIATEK POWERS PAST KALINSKAYA
Six-time Grand Slam winner Iga Swiatek continued her quest for her maiden Australian Open title as she beat Russia’s Anna Kalinskaya 6-1 1-6 6-1 to reach the fourth round, where the Polish second seed will take on Australian qualifier Maddison Inglis.
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0909 OSAKA WITHDRAWS FROM AUSTRALIAN OPEN
Twice champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the tournament, citing injury, ahead of her match against Maddison Inglis, who received a walkover.
“I’ve had to make the difficult decision to withdraw to address something my body needs attention for after my last match,” Osaka wrote on Instagram.
“I was so excited to keep going and this run meant the most to me, so having to stop here breaks my heart but I can’t risk doing any further damage, so I can get back on the court.”
0610 SHELTON BLASTS THROUGH VACHEROT
Ben Shelton has yet to drop a set as the American eighth seed defeated Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-4 6-4 7-6(5) in the third round under the roof at Margaret Court Arena to extend his stay in Melbourne into the second week.
0552 MERTENS CRUISES INTO LAST 16
Former semi-finalist Elise Mertens beat Czech qualifier Nikola Bartunkova 6-0 6-4 to move into the fourth round.
0509 SINNER THROUGH AFTER CRAMP SCARE IN EXTREME HEAT
Defending champion Jannik Sinner dropped a set and suffered from cramp before beating Eliot Spizzirri 4-6 6-3 6-4 6-4 in three hours and 45 minutes.
Sinner was limping in the third set when trailing 3-1 before the Rod Laver Arena roof was closed, after which he recovered and clinched victory on his second match point to reach the last 16.
0336 PLAY SUSPENDED ON OUTER COURTS DUE TO HEAT
Play was suspended on the outer courts due to extreme heat while the roofs on the showcourts were closed as temperatures soared.
0308 DARDERI THROUGH TO LAST 16
Italian 22nd seed Luciano Darderi beat 15th seed Karen Khachanov 7-6(5) 3-6 6-3 6-4 to reach the fourth round of a Grand Slam for the first time.
0230 SINNER DROPS A SET FOR FIRST TIME SINCE OCTOBER
American Eliot Spizzirri ended defending champion Jannik Sinner’s run of matches without dropping a set at 12 when he took the opener 6-4 in their third-round match.
Sinner last dropped a set in the final en route to the title in Vienna against Alexander Zverev, after which he won the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals with flawless campaigns.
0225 ANISIMOVA ADVANCES PAST STEARNS
American fourth seed Amanda Anisimova, a finalist at last year’s Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, defeated compatriot Peyton Stearns 6-1 6-4 in her pursuit of a first Grand Slam title.
0059 KEYS MARCHES ON TO MEET PEGULA
Defending champion Madison Keys eased past Czech Karolina Pliskova 6-3 6-3 to book an all-American clash with Jessica Pegula in the fourth round.
Sixth seed Pegula advanced with a straightforward 6-3 6-2 win over Russia’s Oksana Selekhmeteva.
2333 PLAY UNDERWAY
The Australian Open third round continues Saturday with defending champions Jannik Sinner and Madison Keys in action during the day session, while former winners Novak Djokovic, Naomi Osaka and Stan Wawrinka feature in the night matches.
Wildcard Wawrinka, the 2014 champion playing his farewell Australian Open, has already logged nearly eight hours on court after another five-set thriller and now faces his toughest test against American ninth seed Taylor Fritz.
The day also features former world number one Karolina Pliskova, now ranked 1,057 after ankle surgeries, taking on Keys in a clash between a resurgent underdog and the reigning titleholder.
Brutal Melbourne heat has forced organisers to start play an hour early, with temperatures forecast to hit 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) prompting activation of the extreme heat policy.
ORDER OF PLAY ON SATURDAY (prefix number denotes seeding):
ROD LAVER ARENA
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
Karolina Pliskova (Czech Republic) v 9-Madison Keys (U.S.)
Eliot Spizzirri (U.S.) v 2-Jannik Sinner (Italy)
Night session (0800 GMT/1900 AEDT)
Botic van de Zandschulp (Netherlands) v 4-Novak Djokovic (Serbia)
16-Naomi Osaka (Japan) v Maddison Inglis (Australia)
MARGARET COURT ARENA
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
6-Jessica Pegula (U.S.) v Oksana Selekhmeteva (Russia)
Peyton Stearns (U.S.) v 4-Amanda Anisimova (U.S.)
8-Ben Shelton (U.S.) v Valentin Vacherot (Monaco)
Night session (0800 GMT/1900 AEDT)
31-Anna Kalinskaya (Russia) v 2-Iga Swiatek (Poland)
Marin Cilic (Croatia) v 12-Casper Ruud (Norway)
JOHN CAIN ARENA
Day session (2330 GMT, Friday/1030 AEDT)
5-Lorenzo Musetti (Italy) v Tomas Machac (Czech Republic)
21-Elise Mertens (Belgium) v Nikola Bartunkova (Czech Republic)
Night session (0600 GMT/1700 AEDT)
Stan Wawrinka (Switzerland) v 9-Taylor Fritz (U.S.)
5-Elena Rybakina (Kazakhstan) v Tereza Valentova (Czech Republic)
(Reporting by Rohith Nair and Chiranjit Ojha in Bengaluru and Angelica Medina in Mexico City; Editing by Peter Rutherford, Joe Bavier and Tomasz Janowski)
