And so, the first week of this year\u2019s Australian Open is in the books, as what was once a 128-player draw has now been reduced to the final 16. Day seven delivered a host of compelling storylines, with a two-time defending champion on the ropes, an all-time great of the sport making even more history, and an icon of the game bidding farewell to Melbourne.<\/p>\n
The day started an hour earlier than usual<\/a> due to extreme weather conditions in the forecast, and that only added to the drama and tension, especially during the day-session matches.<\/p>\n The day began with an upset, as Luciano Darderi defeated Karen Khachanov rather comfortably to reach the second week of a hard-court Slam for the first time in his career<\/a>. Remarkably, this is also the first time Darderi has ever won three consecutive matches on hard courts at any level. The Italian played solid baseline tennis, taking more initiative than usual, which was reflected in an impressive 78 percent of points won behind his first serve.<\/p>\n Top-ranked American Ben Shelton also enjoyed a positive outing against Shanghai hero Valentin Vacherot<\/a>, winning comfortably in straight sets. Shelton had an exceptional serving day, facing just one break point and getting broken zero times. He won 75 percent of his total service points and struck nearly 50 winners en route to yet another Major second-week appearance.<\/p>\n And then there was Novak Djokovic, who seems to set a new record every time he steps on court. The former World No.1 not only reached a record-breaking 70th career Slam fourth round, but also became the only man in tennis history to reach 400 match wins<\/a> at the four Majors, with no one even remotely close to that mark. He will face Jakub Mensik in the next round, who also impressed today with a straight-sets win of his own. That matchup promises to be one of the standout contests of the fourth round.<\/p>\n Day seven also marked the end of the road in Melbourne for a former champion, as Stan Wawrinka lost a hard-fought four-set match against Taylor Fritz. While he showed flashes of inspiring tennis in this match and throughout the tournament, it ultimately brought an end to his final Australian Open campaign at the venue where he captured his first Major title back in 2014, with the Swiss having already confirmed that this will be his last year on tour<\/a>.<\/p>\nWho Looked Good<\/h4>\n
Farewell to an Icon<\/h4>\n