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SPORTS A21
Tuesday 26 January 2016

Australian Open: Zhang’s run continues with win over Keys

What to Watch on Tuesday, Day 9 JUSTIN BERGMAN first major after defeating leg to serve and looked
Associated Press an injured Madison Keys increasingly in pain as the
DENNIS PASSA MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 on Monday. match wore on.
AP Sports Writer — Nine days ago, Zhang Keys, who broke through to She later said she kept play-
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A lop-sided rivalry con- Shuai was nearly on a plane reach her first Grand Slam ing because “One, I hate
tested over more than a decade, and a newer but back to China before the semifinal in Melbourne last retiring.
just as compelling one highlight the featured quar- Australian Open began. year, dominated the first Two, you don’t want to do
terfinals at the Australian Open on Tuesday. The French veteran Virginie set with powerful ground- that to someone who is try-
Defending champion Serena Williams takes a Razzano was serving for the strokes that Zhang had ing to get into the quarter-
17-match winning streak into her last-eight encoun- match against her in the fi- trouble returning, breaking finals.”
ter with Maria Sharapova that is a rematch of last nal round of qualifying, but the Chinese player at love At the start of the third set,
year’s final at Melbourne Park. Williams is 18-2 in their
head-to-head encounters that began in 2004, and Zhang Shuai of China makes a backhand return Madison Keys of the United States during their
Sharapova hasn’t beaten Williams since the WTA fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Mon-
season-ending championships that year. day, Jan. 25, 2016.
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic and No. 7 Kei Nishi-
kori first played at the French Open in 2010, where (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)
Djokovic won in straight sets, and the Serbian player
holds a 5-2 edge overall. Their only previous meeting Zhang was able to break in the opening game of the she broke Zhang to take a
at a Grand Slam came at the 2014 U.S. Open, where back and win the third set match. 2-1 lead. But the trainer re-
Nishikori won in four sets en route to the final. 8-6 — along with a spot in But she began to feel pain turned soon after to treat
Four-time champion Roger Federer plays Tomas the main draw. in her left leg early in the Keys’ abductor again and
Berdych in the other men’s quarterfinal, while fourth- Now, the No. 133-ranked second set and, after tak- she finished the match slic-
seeded Agnieszka Radwanska takes on No. 10 Carla Zhang, who considered re- ing a medical timeout ing shots into the court with
Suarez Navarro in the second women’s quarterfinal tiring from tennis after a dis- to have her upper thigh no power behind them,
in the top half of the draw. mal 2015 season, is into the wrapped, had difficulty tears streaming down her
Here’s a look at the matches: quarterfinals of the season’s putting any weight on her face.

WILLIAMS VS. SHARAPOVA: The oldest woman to hold Football fan Azarenka into quarterfinals
the No. 1 ranking — 34-year-old Williams — is also the
most confident heading into yet another match with JOCELYN GECKER Strycova 6-2, 6-4, Azaren- about the Broncos’ win or
Sharapova. “I just feel like I’m really confident in my Associated Press ka had a question for the your own?
game right now,” Williams said, “not against her or MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) crowd. “Can someone “Both, both, both,” said
against any other opponent — I’m just really looking — Victoria Azarenka’s please tell me, did Bron- Azarenka, who faces No.
at me right now. And I feel like if I can just continue “dream final” has come cos win?” the two-time 7 Angelique Kerber in the
to play well, then it could be good.” Good could be true, the Denver Broncos Australian Open cham- quarterfinals. She told the
another Grand Slam singles title which would pull her against the Carolina Pan- pion asked, taking over crowd at Rod Laver Arena
level with Steffi Graf’s 22. Sharapova is trying to play thers. For another day at her on-court TV interview she had been so nervous
positive mind games to rid herself of that dreaded the Australian Open, ten- that was ostensibly meant all morning — not about
record of having not beaten Williams in such a long nis collided with football in to be about tennis. When tennis — about the foot-
time. Azarenka’s arena. She has she heard the Broncos ball games playing Sunday
“It’s not like I think about, ‘What can I do worse?’” been “dabbing” for days had beaten the New Eng- night in the U.S. around the
Sharapova said. now after each victory and land Patriots in the AFC title time of her Monday morn-
on Monday informed fans game, she shouted. ing match Down Under.
DJOKOVIC VS. NISHIKORI: Djokovic had, by his lofty that she is a strong support- “Yesssss!!!!” — then she When told the Panthers
standards a shocking performance in his fourth-round er of both NFL teams head- stepped back and raised had won the NFC decider,
match against Gilles Simon, making 100 unforced er- ing to the Super Bowl. both arms — “I’m so hap- she was equally elated:
rors in a five-set win over a veteran who loves to keep After quickly polishing off py now.” Her interviewer “It’s going to be my dream
the ball in play. her fourth-round match posed an apt follow-up final. I can’t wait to see
“Too many unforced errors today,” Djokovic said Monday, beating Barbaro question: Are you happier that!”
after the match. “I’m going to make sure that I de-
crease that number at least more than half and
hope for the best.
We’ve (he and Nishikori) played many times in the
big tournaments.” Asked to comment on Djokovic’s
strengths — before Djokovic’s match against Simon
— the Japanese player possibly jinxed his quarterfi-
nal rival: “I think the biggest thing is he doesn’t miss. I
have to be the one to dictate.”

FEDERER VS. BERDYCH: Federer is playing in his 12th
Australian Open quarterfinal and holds a 15-6 edge
over Berdych, although the Czech player beat Fe-
derer in four sets the last time they played in a Grand
Slam in the 2012 U.S. Open quarterfinals.
“I think the court suits him (Berdych)... this sort of flat-
ter bounce and faster court is good for his serves,
good for his returns,” Federer said of Rod Laver Are-
na, where the two have a day match scheduled.
Berdych, who is playing his sixth consecutive quar-
terfinal here, says: “I mean, it’s Roger, so it’s always
going to be a huge challenge to play him. “