Day 7 at the Australian Open was full of surprises, as we saw two upsets and one of the main title contenders bow out in the fourth round. As the tournament moves on, we’re seeing more and more surprises unravel, and the Australian Open surely has much more in store for us.
Australian Open Day 7
Karatsev Comes Back From Two Sets Down
Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev continued to shock the tennis world by staging a remarkable comeback against 20th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime.
The 27-year-old found himself two sets to love down but didn’t let this dampen his spirits. Showing the incredible levels of tennis he displayed in his straight sets win over Diego Schwartzman, he prevailed 3-6 1-6 6-3 6-3 6-4. He is now the first player since 1996 to reach the quarter finals in his first ever Grand Slam appearance.
Karatsev now awaits Grigor Dimitrov, who also pulled off a stunning upset.
Dimitrov Stuns Thiem
18th seed Grigor Dimitrov produced a brilliant performance to defeat world #3 and title contender Dominic Thiem in straight sets. Thiem appeared off the pace throughout the match, especially in the third set. This was mostly down to his gruelling five-setter with Nick Kyrgios in Round 3. That said, Dimitrov played a superb match and nothing should be taken away from him.
Dimitrov came through 6-4 6-4 6-0, and is looking as dangerous as he’s been since 2017 in Melbourne. His encounter with Karatsev will be a hugely exciting affair.
Zverev Safely Through
An at times spirited Dusan Lajovic was unable to stop an impressive looking Alexander Zverev. Neither played a perfect match, but Zverev played the bigger points better and came through fairly comfortably in straight sets.
He prevailed 6-4 7-6(5) 6-3 and will now meet Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals. Given Djokovic’s current injury struggles and Zverev’s strong form, he may fancy his chances.
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Djokovic Overcomes Raonic Hurdle
Heading into this match there were major doubts surrounding Djokovic’s fitness and whether he’d be able to compete. He pulled up and winced in pain on a few occasions, but overall seemed to have subdued his side injury. Raonic played some great tennis but was unable to exert enough dominance or pressure throughout the match.
Raonic did manage to win his first set against Djokovic at a grand slam, but it wasn’t enough. Djokovic emerged victorious 7-6 4-6 6-1 6-4 and will meet Zverev in the quarter finals. Despite the injury worries, Djokovic doesn’t seem deterred. His hunger for a ninth Australian Open is still there, and he will do everything in his power to make it happen.
Four players now await the rest of the draw in the quarterfinals, and it’s clear that we’re in for a hugely exciting second week of tennis.
Main Photo from Getty.
