Rafael Nadal wins to advance to Australian Open quarterfinals for 14th time

MELBOURNE, Australia —  Rafael Nadal advanced into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the 14th time after beating Adrian Mannarino in straight sets following a long opening tiebreaker.

Nadal needed seven set points before finishing off the 28-minute, 40-second tiebreaker on the way to his 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round victory. It extended his streak to 21 straight wins against fellow left-handers.

The Spaniard moved into a tie for second with John Newcombe on the all-time list for most quarterfinals in Australia. Roger Federer tops that list with 15. It’s also his 45th time into the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament, which is third on the all-time list behind Federer (58) and Novak Djokovic (51).

Nadal is now potentially three victories away from a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title.

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Australian Open: Simona Halep and Aryna Sabalenka advance into second week

Two-time major champion Simona Halep and second-seeded Aryna Sabalenka each won their third-round matches at the Australian Open.

Jan. 21, 2022

French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova reached the women’s singles quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in their fourth-round match at Rod Laver Arena.

The fourth-seeded Krejcikova needed only 85 minutes to beat the 2012 and 2013 champion and progress to her third quarterfinal in four Grand Slams events. She will next play 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, who had 6-3, 6-1 victory over eighth-seeded Paula Badosa.

Azarenka, seeded 24th, made 28 unforced errors and dropped five service games.

Krejcikova broke Azarenka’s serve in the third game and again in the seventh to take control of the first set.

She broke again the opening game of the second set and then was rarely troubled in closing out as temperatures approached 93 degrees.

Keys beat Badosa 6-3, 6-1 in the first match of Day 7 at Rod Laver Arena.