What to watch for on Day 10 of the Australian Open
MELBOURNE, Australia – Can Venus and Serena Williams set up another historic battle at a major? They both haven't met this deep at a Grand Slam in over five years, making that the biggest story line to watch on Day 10 of the Australian Open. It's the day when the men's and women's singles draws wrap up their quarterfinal matches after Rafael Nadal was shocked and Maria Sharapova and Andy Murray advanced on Tuesday.
Here's how the day will play out, match by match.
(18) Venus Williams (USA) vs. Madison Keys (USA), 11 a.m. local/7 p.m. ET on Tennis Channel
At 34, the elder Williams is making her first trip to a Grand Slam quarterfinal since the 2010 US Open and meets a rising American teenager who took up the sport partly because of watching Venus as a little girl. Williams leads their head-to-head 1-0 (Charleston, 2013), but both women are playing a new brand of tennis this week in Melbourne, Venus is rejuvenated with her run and Keys is under the direction of new coach Lindsay Davenport, a former rival of Venus' and world No. 1.
(1) Serena Williams (USA) vs. (11) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK), not before 12:30 p.m. local/8:30 ET on ESPN2
Serena will play following her big sister, and hopes to follow Venus directly into the semifinals should they both win. The younger of the siblings gets a resurgent Cibulkova, the Slovakian who was a surprise runner-up to Li Na here a year ago and had a pedestrian 11 months since (25-23 overall). But Cibulkova has renewed her game this week, making a run that has included a three-set win over two-time champion Victoria Azarenka. World No. 1 Williams, meanwhile, has looked sluggish, having to come back from a set down in her last two match wins.
(4) Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs. (5) Kei Nishikori (JPN), not before 2 p.m. local/10 p.m. ET on ESPN2
Like Cibulkova, the Swiss veteran Wawrinka is playing inspired tennis back at the place where he had so much success last January. The defending champion has made his way fastidiously through the draw, dropping just one set in four matches. He and Nishikori will go toe to toe in this match, which is a revival of their US Open quarterfinal that the Japanese megastar won in five sets late into the New York night. Wawrinka leads their head-to-head 2-1, but that US Open epic was the last time they've met.
(1) Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. (8) Milos Raonic (CAN), 7:30 p.m. local/3:30 a.m. ET Weds. on ESPN2
The men's top seed Djokovic, winner at this tournament four times, meets big-serving Canadian Raonic in the evening session singles bout. Djokovic has looked like his old self on Rod Laver Arena, the court he calls his most favorite in the world. Raonic will test him with his monstrous delivery, but has yet to carve out a win in their four career exchanges. Djokovic's buoyant, never-say-die style translates well on these courts, though this has been Raonic's most successful Slam, a 14-4 career record in five outings.