Medvedev, Tsitsipas Advance At Australian Open, Rublev Out; Nadal, Zverev Today

Bottom half favorites Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos inched closer to a semifinal collision at the Australian Open.

Medvedev manhandled Botic van de Zandschulp 6-4, 6-4, 6-2 to reach his fourth straight Australian Open fourth round.

“I am really happy because every round at a Grand Slam is very tough,” Medvedev told the crowd after his 26-winner performance. “Even today the score doesn’t show this, but I feel like it was a much tighter match than the score showed. Hopefully I can play here many more years. I hope there will be more good times than bad times otherwise it doesn’t work.”

The world No. 2 will now meet American surprise Maxime Cressy who ousted Australian wild card Christopher O’Connell 6-2, 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2. The big-serving, net-rushing Cressy has played 283 serve-and-volley points thus far. How will that work again the stern defense of Medvedev?

“I actually don’t even think about my opponent because they try many things,” said Cressy. “He would try to return close or if that doesn’t work, far from the baseline.

“They try different things to get in my head and if I focus on them it disrupts my game. My mindset is to completely block off what my opponent does.”

Medvedev’s countrywoman and potential quarterfinal foe Andrey Rublev fell to the hot-handed Marin Cilic who pulled the upset with a 7-5, 7-6(3), 3-6, 6-3.

“It is incredible,” Cilic told the crowd. “I enjoyed every single second of the match. Andrey is an incredible player, we have played several times in the past and it is always difficult. I had so much fun and played great tennis.”

Cilic, the finalist in 2018, will now face Felix Auger-Aliassime who rolled past Dan Evans.

After seven straight losses at this stage, Taylor Fritz made his first Slam fourth round, besting Roberto Bautista Agut in five sets 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. He’ll get Stefanos Tsitsipas who needed four sets to dismiss Benoit Paire.

It’s huge,” said Fritz of his win. “It seems stupid, like after that match I was almost close to tearing up a bit. So many people have made the second week of Slams, but it’s just eluded me for so long.

“It means a ton. I’m proud, it didn’t come easy, I beat an incredibly tough guy.”

Jannik Sinner and Alex De Minaur also advanced to a fourth round meeting.

Today, the fourth round opens with Rafael Nadal taking on Adrian Mannarino. Matteo Berrettini battles Pablo Carreno Busta and Alexander Zverev locks up with Canadian star Denis Shapovalov.

SUNDAY AUSTRALIAN OPEN SCHEDULE
Rod Laver Arena
Day session – From 11am
M. Keys v P. Badosa 8
B. Krejcikova 4 v V. Azarenka 24
Not before 2pm
A. Mannarino v R. Nadal 6
Night session – From 7pm
A. Barty 1 v A. Anisimova
P. Carreno Busta 19 v M. Berrettini 7

Margaret Court Arena
Day session – From 11am
V. Kudermetova 3/E. Mertens 3 v Y. Xu 14/Z. Yang 14
Not before 1pm
J. Pegula 21 v M. Sakkari 5
Not before 3pm
A. Zverev 3 v D. Shapovalov 14