AN EXCITING LINEUP FOR THE QUARTER-FINALS

The stage is set for an incredible Semi-Final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer at the Australian Open, who are about to face each other for the 50th time on their accomplished careers. While Roger had a very hard time beating Tennys Sandgren, saving 7 match points along the way, Djokovic straight-setted a resurgent Milos Raonic. The Serbian leads the H2H by a score of 26-23 and is the favourite to land another win when the two face off again. But before that, two exciting Quarter-Final matches are being played to determine the other Semi-Final. We’ll give a quick breakdown of what’s to come tonight on both matchups.

"He showed why he is one of the best players of all time."@DjokerNole with admiration for what his semifinal opponent Roger Federer was able to do in his quarterfinal match with Tennys Sandgren.#AO2020 | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/8NEtYBnvIw — #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 28, 2020

1. STAN WAWRINKA v ALEXANDER ZVEREV

The 1st match of the Men’s Singles draw opposes Stan Wawrinka to Alexander Zverev. The German leads the H2H by a score of 2-0, but both those wins came in non-Grand Slam events, where the Swiss most of the time doesn’t play to his full potential. However, things often change when Stan the Man is involved in the late rounds of a Major. He becomes more confident and consequently more dangerous to anyone on tour, as his game starts reaching new heights. He can book his 1st Grand Slam Semi-Final appearance since Roland Garros 2017, a place where he went on to lose in the final to the “King of Clay”, Rafael Nadal. On the other side of the net, will be standing Alexander Zverev. The youngster who was supposed to be the heir to the throne to players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic is finding it hard to live up to expectations, as he has failed multiple times on Grand Slam level. Even so, the Nitto ATP Finals 2018 winner is looking like the real deal here in Melbourne. Without conceding a single set yet, Zverev has won to a red-hot Andrey Rublev and the always dangerous Fernando Verdasco, as he’ll try to do the same to a multiple Grand Slam winner. Starting the season with major problems on his service, completing 31 double-faults in seven sets at the ATP Cup, he’s looking more secure on his service games, something he’ll need for the duration of the entire match with Stan if he wants to have any chance of advancing to the next round. His groundstrokes will need to be aggressive as well, or he’ll quickly lose control of the match due to Wawrinka’s power and placement. Depending on what version shows up from both players, this either has the making of an epic five-setter or a straightforward win from either Stan or Zverev.

OH STAN, YOU ARE THE MAN! ????@stanwawrinka completes a stunning victory over Medvedev 6-2 2-6 4-6 7-6 6-2 to make the #AusOpen quarters! ???? pic.twitter.com/P3l1DPqlrF — ATP Tour (@atptour) January 27, 2020

2. RAFAEL NADAL v DOMINIC THIEM

The 2nd match to be played on Rod Laver Arena right after Wawrinka versus Zverev, opposes Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem. Both these players favourite surface is clay, but their play on hardcourts in these last few weeks have been nothing but outstanding. Rafa, who only won the Australian Open once, is the favourite to reach the Semis, due to his history here in Melbourne and his career accomplishments. He hasn’t suffered any real scare until now, with his only competitive match being the last one against fan favourite Nick Kyrgios. The last two sets against the Australian were peak Rafa, as he withstood the pressure from the crowd to deliver when it mattered most, assuring his presence in the Quarter-Finals. His spinned forehand could pose some serious trouble for Thiem’s one-handed backhand, as he’ll probably rely heavily on that weapon to take advantage of the rally. The Austrian, on the other hand, will try to make history and reach his first Grand Slam Semi-Final on hardcourt. His best result was the Quarter-Final in 2018 on the fast courts of the US Open, losing to the same player he’ll face tonight on an epic five-set affair. Dominic’s improvement on this surface has been notorious, as he’s been slowly obtaining results since last season, having won a Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and two ATP 500 events, in Beijing and Vienna. In his previous match, he didn’t let Monfils have a single breakpoint, a result of his incredible serving throughout the match, something that he’ll need against Nadal, or it could turn into a real battle from the baseline to earn most of his points. All in all, this has the potential to be another epic duel, like the one featured in their last hardcourt meeting.

Rafael Nadal passes the Kyrgios' test, beats the Australian 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(6), 7-6(4) in 3h39 to reach the #AusOpen QFs for a 12th time. Great match...



41st GS QF, ties Jimmy Connors.



Gets Dominic Thiem on wednesday. pic.twitter.com/8ffjpSqaL3 — José Morgado (@josemorgado) January 27, 2020



