05 January,2023 09:20 AM IST | Adelaide | AFP
Daniil Medvedev returns to Miomir Kecmanovic at the Memorial Drive in Adelaide. Pics/Getty Images
Former World No.1 Daniil Medvedev locked in an all-Russian Adelaide International quarter-final with Karen Khachanov on Wednesday, while Aryna Sabalenka stormed back to book her place in the last eight.
Medvedev, runner-up at the last two Australian Opens, blew away the new year cobwebs with a 6-0, 6-3 romp over Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic. It came a day after the 2021 US Open champion had to save nine set points against first-round opponent Lorenzo Sonego before the Italian retired hurt.
"I think it was a great match. Miomir is a tough opponent, a high-ranked player so there are no easy guys left in Adelaide," third seed Medvedev said of the 29th-ranked Serb.
"I'm not sure there were any [easy opponents] from the first round, so really happy to be through, happy with my level." Next up is eighth seed Khachanov, who eased past Britain's Jack Draper 6-4, 6-2.
Rising Japanese star Yoshihito Nishioka also went through. Having dispatched fifth seed Holger Rune in the first round, he backed up to beat American Mackenzie McDonald 6-4, 6-3. His reward is a last-eight clash with either Australian qualifier Alexei Popyrin, who stunned second seed Felix Auger-Aliassime on Monday, or American Marcos Giron.
World No.5 Sabalenka came back from 1-5 down in the first set to fight past dogged Russian Liudmila Samsonova 7-6 (10/8), 7-6 (7/3) and make the quarter-finals. She will meet Marketa Vondrousova for a place in the last four after the Czech player's dominant 6-0, 6-4 dismissal of Estonian Kaia Kanepi.
"When you're 1-5 down there's nothing to lose and you just go for your shots without thinking," Sabalenka said of clawing back against a player who collected trophies in Tokyo, Cleveland and Washington last year to crack the top 20.
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Russian World No.9 Veronika Kedermetova also progressed, beating Canada's Bianca Andreescu 6-4, 6-0, while Ukraine's Marta Kostyuk overpowered Kazakhstan's Elena Rybakina 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-3.
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