Djokovic too good, Venus undone
January 28, 2015
The men's and women's semifinalists are now all settled at the Australian Open, as the remaining quarterfinals were played in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Defending champ Stan Wawrinka and number one seed Novak Djokovic were both in action, as well as the Williams sisters, who were looking to meet in the semis.
Novak Djokovic showed no mercy against good friend Milos Raonic in their quarterfinal, with the Serbian number one seed winning in straight sets 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.
The four-time Australian Open winner cruised past his 24-year old Canadian counterpart without facing a single break-point. The win means Djokovic is one game away from a fifth final in Melbourne and he is yet to lose a Championship match in Australia.
"It was a great performance tonight. I returned very well and tried to get as many of the balls back in play and I felt I had a good chance from the back of the court," Djokovic said after qualifying for a 25th Grand Slam semifinal.
"I served very well and overall it was a great match against one of the up and coming rising stars."
Wawrinka wastes no time
Defending champion Stan Wawrinka showed his triumph last year was no fluke as he powered past fifth seed Kei Nishikori in straight sets 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
Wawrinka, who was beaten by Nishikori over five sets in the quarterfinals at last year's US Open, broke Nishikori's serve three times and lost on serve only once on the way to the win.
"I am still nervous about that tiebreak, I was a bit defensive, it's never easy, you have to go for it and I'm happy to get through," Wawrinka said after he blew five match points before finally ending the encounter.
Wawrinka will now face Djokovic in their semifinal on Friday, in a repeat of last year's quarterfinal in Melbourne. The other men's semifinal sees Tomas Berdych face Andy Murray on Thursday.
No dream semi for Williams' sisters
Venus Williams wasn't able to secure a semifinal match against her sister Serena, who kept her hopes of a nineteenth Grand Slam title alive with a crushing victory in her quarterfinal.
The 19-year old Madison Keys was the ultimate party-pooper as she ended Venus Williams' fairytale run at the Australian Open. The future of American women's tennis, as she is being referred to, ended the chance of a first meeting between the Williams sisters at a Grand Slam since Wimbledon, 2009, with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win.
"The sky's the limit," said the 34-year-old Williams when asked about Keys. "There is no limit to what she can achieve."
Despite a lack of quality of the match, in which the two players combined for 83 unforced errors, Keys was pleased to be through to the semis.
"It's amazing, you just have to embrace the moment," said Keys, who hadn't been past the third round of a Grand Slam before. "And I get to enjoy another moment next round."
Meanwhile, Serena had no issues in her quarterfinal, despite suffering from a cold over the past few days. She had little trouble in getting past last year's finalist, Dominika Cibulkova, 6-2, 6-2.
"I've been sick the past few days, and it's just getting worse and worse, but hopefully it will get better," Williams said. "I heard there's a virus going around with a lot of the players, and I think I caught it."
The win for Serena means she is on course to face rival Maria Sharopova in the final, as long as she can overcome Keys in their semifinal. Sharapova will meet tenth seed Ekaterina Makarova in the other semifinal.
Germany's last remaining contenders bowed on Wednesday, as the doubles pair of Julia Görges and Anna-Lena Grönefeld had to retire from their quarterfinal after one set, due to Görges suffering illness.
apc/al (AP, Reuters)