Share

Radwanska into quarters

Melbourne - Experienced fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska has overpowered unheralded Spaniard Garbine Muguruza in straight sets to reach her fourth consecutive Australian Open quarter-final on Monday.

The Pole saw off some early resistance to stamp her authority on the match and win 6-1, 6-3 in 77 minutes to set up a last-eight clash with defending champion Victoria Azarenka.

In beating Muguruza, the 24-year-old made her fourth consecutive Australian Open quarter-final, and fifth overall at Melbourne Park, although she has never gone further.

"I'm very happy I could play my best tennis, I knew I had to be 100 percent tonight," she said, adding that she was looking forward to meeting Azarenka on Wednesday.

"It's the quarter-finals, I'm playing great at these championships and I have nothing to lose."

It was a learning experience for the 20-year-old Muguruza, who beat former world number one Caroline Wozniacki in the last round and has been in stellar early-season form.

She won her first WTA title with victory over Czech Klara Zakopalova at this month's Hobart International, an achievement even more impressive in that she was a qualifier

It saw her sprint up the rankings to a career-best 38 after she recovered from right ankle surgery following Wimbledon that sidelined her for the rest of the year.

Radwanska, in her 31st Grand Slam to Muguruza's fifth, got the match underway on a cool evening at Rod Laver Arena by holding serve when the Spaniard netted after a series of baseline rallies.

Muguruza held and the Pole had to battle hard to hold her own serve in the next game, saving four break points in a tense encounter with both players hitting plenty of winners.

There was little between them at that stage as they pounded balls over the net, with Radwanska finally getting a 3-1 lead on her fourth break point with a net volley.

The break deflated Muguruza, who was broken to love on her next service game as the Pole raced to a 5-1 lead and comfortably served out the set in 44 minutes.

The Spaniard won her first game in six on her opening serve in the second set to gain some confidence, but she was soon broken down by Radwanska who went 3-1 in front.

The Pole held serve, saving two break points in a last-ditch effort by Muguruza, and broke again in the ninth game to take the match.

Quarter-final line-ups at the Australian Open:

Men:

Playing Tuesday:
Novak Djokovic (SRB x2) v Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x8)
David Ferrer (ESP x3) v Tomas Berdych (CZE x7)

Playing Wednesday:
Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) v Grigor Dimitrov (BUL x22)
Andy Murray (GBR x4) v Roger Federer (SUI x6)

Women:

Playing Tuesday:
Ana Ivanovic (SRB x14) v Eugenie Bouchard (CAN)
Li Na (CHN x4) v Flavia Pennetta (ITA x28)

Playing Wednesday:
Simona Halep (ROU x11) v Dominika Cibulkova (SVK x20)
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x2) v Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x5)
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1804 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1766 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1067 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 450 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 184 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
4% - 248 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE