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Tennis Barty through to the quarters at the Australian Open

TOP-RANKED Ash Barty moved into the Australian Open women’s semi-finals with a 6-2, 6-0 win over No 21 Jessica Pegula in Melbourne today.

The 2021 Wimbledon champion is aiming to become the first Australian woman to win the Australian Open since 1978.

She will next face 2017 US Open runner-up Madison Keys for a place in the final. 

Unseeded US player Keys is back in the last four for the second time after losing to Serena Williams in the semi-finals in 2015.

Barty saved the only break point she faced against Pegula and converted five of the nine chances she had to break serve.

Keys beat French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova 6-3, 6-2 in the opening match in the Rod Laver Arena on day nine.

In the men’s competition, Matteo Berrettini became the first Italian man to reach the semi-finals at the Australian Open. The Wimbledon runner-up beat number 17 Gael Monfils 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2.

Berrettini will next face Rafael Nadal in the semis on Friday.

Earlier Nadal stayed on track for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam singles title with a topsy-turvy 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3 win over Denis Shapovalov in the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
 
Nadal had several medical timeouts in the four-hour match, appearing related to stomach issues.

The Spaniard is tied for most major singles titles by a male player with Roger Federer, who is not playing here due to continuing recovery from knee surgery, and Novak Djokovic, who was deported before the tournament began over visa issues concerning his decision not to be vaccinated for Covid-19.

In Wednesday’s second day of quarter-finals, second-seeded Daniil Medvedev is expecting one of the toughest challenges yet in his bid to win a second consecutive Grand Slam singles title when he plays 21-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime. 

Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas will play Jannik Sinner in the other men’s quarter-final. 

In the women’s quarters, Alize Cornet plays 2019 Australian Open semi-finalist Danielle Collins in the opening match. In the other quarter-final, 2020 French Open champion Iga Swiatek takes on Kaia Kanepi.

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