The top half of the draw completed their fourth round matches in cooler conditions and there was a huge shock!
(Rank/Seed)
14/14 Ivanovic, the former world number one from Serbia stunned everyone in beating the red hot tournament favourite (1/1) Williams 46 63 63 to snap her 25 match win streak! Having never taken a set from Serena in 4 previous meetings, Ivanovic missed her opportunities in the first set against a somewhat lethargic Williams. However, she wouldn't miss out again, bludgeoning Serena with her hefty forehand and aggressive return of serve. Only one break decided the third set as Ivanovic impressed with her coolness under pressure, finishing with 33 winners to just 27 unforced errors. Despite hitting 12 aces, Williams was often caught flat footed and frequently miss timed the ball, hitting only 22 winners to 27 unforced errors (the most she's hit since the 80's according to Serena). Later, she admitted that she had nearly withdrawn from the event before her 3rd round match due to a blocked back but had instead opted to take heavy medication. Either way, it didn't seem that it had much affect on the outcome as Ivanovic just dealt with the situation much better. Having beaten Venus Williams 2 weeks ago to win the title in Auckland, she has now done a rare Williams double to reach her first Australian Open quarter final since 2008! For Williams, her 18th major will have to wait as she suffered her second fourth round loss in the last 3 years at this event.
4/4 Li looks to have shrugged off the horrors of the third round with a clinical demolition of Russian, (22/22) Makarova 62 60, improving to 5-0 in their head to head. After barely beating Safarova, Li hit the practice courts and looked much more assured in her strategy against Makarova, who's also a lefty as she won the last 9 games of the match. She moves into her 4th quarterfinal here in her last 5 appearances, but well done to Makarova in reaching at least the fourth round here herself for the last 4 years.
29/28 Pennetta, a former top 10 player from Italy, continues her comeback from wrist surgery as she outlasted (9/9) Kerber 61 46 75 to reach her first Australian Open quarter final, having only ever reached that stage at the US Open. Pennetta played impeccably through the first set as she destroyed Kerber's second serve. However, Kerber was typically tenacious and began extending the rallies, using her forehand to dictate and change the momentum. The third set was a tense affair as both players traded breaks before Pennetta broke again to serve for the match at 5-3. Unsurprisingly, she played nervously to get broken only for Kerber to then make a series of nervous, rash errors to lose the match. Pennetta's compact aggression saw her hit 43 winners and edge ahead 3-2 in their head to head series, marking the 5th time in her last 5 fourth round matches in majors that Kerber has lost.
31/30 Bouchard, the Canadian 2013 Newcomer of the Year, won her very first fourth round match at a major, upsetting the home crowd and Australian wildcard Dellacqua, 67(5) 62 60. Dellacqua had accounted for Wimbledon semi finalist (19/18) Flipkens in the second round and applied scoreboard pressure in the first set, edging the tiebreak. However, the 19 year old Bouchard improved her court position and started to dictate play, demonstrating composure well beyond her years as she became the first Canadian woman since Patricia Hy at the US Open 1992 to reach a major quarter final and the first her since Carling Bassett in 1983!
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