Osaka, Svitolina, Pliskova advance to QFs of Australian Open 2019

Speed Post News Network

Patna : World No 7 in WTA rankings Elina Svitolina, 24, Ukraine, World No 4 and reigning US Open Champion Naomi Osaka, 21, Japan, and World No 8 Karolina Pliskova, 26, Czech Republic, entered the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on January 21, 2019.

Svitolina beat World No 17 Madison Keys, 23, USA, in three-sets 6-1, 1-6, 6-1 in the 4th round on January 21, 2019, to enter the quarter-finals of the tournament for the second successive year. Both the players served 3 Aces each in the match. But, Svitolina won 4 break points to 2 by Keys, the 2015 Australian Open semi-finalist. Svitolina, however, committed 4 double faults in the match to 1 by Keys, the 2017 US Open finalist. Both the players won 5 games each in a row in the match. Keys had also reached semi-finals of French Open in 2018.

Osaka beat World No 12 Anastasija Sevastova, 28, Latvia,  in a three-sets thriller 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 in the 4th round on January 21. Osaka fired 7 Aces in the match to 4 by Sevastova. The World No 4 won 3 break points to 2 by Sevastova, who had also lost in the 4th round of the tournament in 2011. Both the players won 3 games each in a row in the match. Osaka won 66 service points to 51 by Sevastova, the 2018 US Open semi-finalist. Osaka has reached the Australian Open quarter-finals for the first time. Osaka will face Svitolina in the quarter-finals on January 23, 2019.

Pliskova, the 2016 US Open finalist, crushed two-time Grand Slam Champion and World No 18 Garbine Muguruza, 25, Spain, 6-3, 6-1 in the 4th round on January 21, 2019, to sail into the quarter-finals of Australian Open for the third consecutive year. Pliskova served 4 Aces in the match to 1 by Muguruza, the 2017 Wimbledon and 2016 French Open Champion. None of the two players committed any double fault in the match. Pliskova won 5 break points to 1 by Muguruza. Pliskova won 5 games in a row in the match to 2 by Muguruza, who had reached the QFs of Australian Open in 2017.