Halep, Sabalenka on track
MELBOURNE – World No. 2 and title favorite Daniil Medvedev won over the Australian Open crowd on Saturday as he eased into the last 16 along with Stefanos Tsitsipas.
After the drama of Friday, when defending champion Naomi Osaka exited Melbourne in the third round, the women’s seeds were also mostly untroubled on Day 6.
Second seed Aryna Sabalenka overcame the serving yips and Simona Halep was an emphatic winner, the former number one now playing self-described “dinosaur” Alize Cornet on Monday for a place in the quarterfinals.
Russia’s Medvedev, the de facto men’s top seed after the deportation of defending champion Novak Djokovic on the eve of the Grand Slam, said some fans at Melbourne Park had a “low IQ” after they booed him in his second-round victory over Australian showman Nick Kyrgios.
The reigning US Open champion needed four sets and a large dose of composure to see off Kyrgios and silence Rod Laver Arena, but it was altogether more comfortable as he dismissed unseeded Dutchman Botic van de Zandschulp.
The 25-year-old Medvedev kept his cool in sweltering conditions on Margaret Court Arena to roll through, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2, in one hour, 55 minutes and faces American Maxime Cressy in the fourth round.
“I’ll put it this way, it’s easier to play a guy from the Netherlands than a guy from Australia in Melbourne,” said Medvedev, who has a similar love-hate dynamic with the crowd in New York.
Greek fourth seed Tsitsipas, who is chasing a maiden major, was also largely untroubled in a 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (2/7), 6-4 win over unseeded Frenchman Benoit Paire and plays American Taylor Fritz next.
Medvedev and Tsitsipas could meet in the semifinals.
In the women’s draw, Halep swatted aside Danka Kovinic – conqueror of US Open champion Emma Raducanu – 6-2, 6-1 in just 64 minutes to set up a date with Cornet of France.
World No. 2 Sabalenka overcame the serving problems that have been plaguing her early season, but still needed three sets to get past 31st seed Marketa Vondrousova, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1.