By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, January 21, 2022
World No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka aims to tame her serve and dangerous Marketa Vondrousova with a return to the AO fourth round on the line.
Photo credit: Getty
Australian Open aftershocks have barely subsided, but more stress tests are on tap for Saturday.
Amanda Anisimova played party crasher to the highly-anticipated fourth-round showdown between world No. 1 Ash Barty and Naomi Osaka when she saved match points stunning two-time AO champion Osaka in round three on Friday night.
More: Anisimova Shocks Osaka
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev continues chasing history on Saturday. The US Open champion is bidding to become the first man in Open Era history to win his second Grand Slam title at his next major.
Second-ranked Aryna Sabalenka is trying to tame her volatile serve while pursuing a maiden major championship.
Australian Open Day 6 Schedule
Australian Open TV Schedule
Here’s what we’ll be watching on day six of the Australian Open.
Flame Game: Will Sabalenka Ignite or Implode?
(2) Aryna Sabalenka (BLR) vs. (31) Marketa Vondrousova (CZE)
Head-to-head: Even, 2-2
Margaret Court Arena
Aryna Sabalenka has learned managing her unruly serve is like playing with fire: When she can control it, the explosive serve heats her whole game and when it rages out of control it can leave her burned.
The second-ranked Sabalenka slapped 12 double faults coming back from a set and a break down in her opening-round win over Aussie wild card Storm Sanders. Sabalenka then overcame a 19-double fault struggle rallying from love-5 down in a 1-6, 6-4, 6-2, second-round win over 100th-ranked Xinyu Wang.
Credit the sometimes ornery Sabalenka, who arrived in Melbourne winless on the season, for fighting so hard to endure. However, she knows a slow start and sloppy serving won’t get it done vs. Vondrousova, who is one of 12 woman in the bottom half of the draw yet to drop a set.
Dangerous left-hander Vondrousova is 3-1 lifetime vs. Top 2 opponents, including two wins over Simona Halep and an Olympic upset of Naomi Osaka last July.
Coming off successive Grand Slam semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open, Sabalenka has a shot to succeed Ash Barty as world No. 1—though she’d need to reach the final and see the Wimbledon champion to lose—the question is can she consistently find the service box? Both Sabalenka and Vondrousova are playing for a second straight AO round of 16 appearance.
US Open Rematch: Medvedev vs. Botic Van de Zandschulp
(2) Daniil Medvedev (RUS) vs. No. 57 Botic Van de Zandschulp (NED)
Head-to-head: Medvedev leads 1-0
Margaret Court Arena
Five months ago, Daniil ended the inspired run of qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-0, 4-6, 7-5 to charge into his third straight US Open semifinal.
While it may read like a fairly straightforward scoreline, Van de Zandschulp gave the second-ranked Russian problems and was the only man to take a set from Medvedev during his US Open title run.
Both men will seek a fast start as Medvedev aims to mute both his talented opponent and perhaps some fans who jeered between his first and second serves at times during the US Open champion’s raucous second-round win over Aussie Nick Kyrgios.
While Medvedev kept his cool on court in his post-match interview he unloaded on rude rabble rousers afterward calling those jeering fans “low IQ.”
In New York, Medvedev rampaged through 12 of the first 15 games against a lethargic-looking Van de Zandschulp, who looked down and out after fighting through seven victories—including three in qualifying—to make his maiden major quarterfinal. Then the Dutchman turned it up testing the Russian.
Asked how the US Open match escalated from blow-out into battle, Medvedev said simply “him.”
“First two sets he was missing; I was kind of controlling the game,” Medvedev said. “In third set he started missing less and hit with more power being more aggressive. The break point he won he made a forehand winner so it started to be much tougher for me.”
Streaking Swiatek Aims to Sustain Roll
(7) Iga Swiatek (POL) vs. (25) Daria Kasatkina (RUS)
Head-to-head: Kasatkina leads 1-0
Margaret Court Arena
Former Roland Garros champion Iga Swiatek has taken the express route to round three permitting just seven games in two wins.
The road figures to get much tougher against the crafty Kasatkina, who can angle her backhand sharply or play the low slice to test Swiatek’s western grip forehand. Kasatkina’s ability to alter the height and spins of her shots and her deceptive drop shot helped her win 12 of the last 13 games stopping Swiatek on Eastbourne’s grass last summer.
Swiatek is playing for her fifth straight Grand Slam fourth round; she’s reached the round of 16 in six of her last seven majors.
Other Popcorn Matches
No. 27-seeded Danielle Collins joins compatriots Amanda Anisimova, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys as one of four American women who reached the third round.
The feisty Collins thrives at Melbourne Park where she reached the 2019 semifinals and will be up against it against talented teenager Clara Tauson.
The 19-year-old Tauson knocked off WTA Finals runner-up Anett Kontaveit, who led the Tour in hard-court wins last year, to reach the third round. The lone teenager still standing is has all-court skills, deploys the drop shot from unexpected positions and is playing to become the first Danish woman to reach the round of 16 in Melbourne since former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki's run to the 2018 AO title.
In his 11th AO appearance, Alex de Minaur is bidding to become the 55th Aussie man to reach the AO round of 16 in the Open Era and will have to beat Spanish veteran Pablo Andujar, who won their lone prior meeting, to do it.
Enjoy a dark-horse duel as Aussie wild card Christopher O'Connell faces American serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressy. The 175th-ranked O'Connell is playing to become just the eighth wild card to reach the AO round of 16.
World No. 70 Cressy, who reached the Melbourne Summer Set final falling to Rafael Nadal, is playing for his first major round of 16 appearance and a Tour-best ninth victory on the season. Contesting his fourth major main draw, Cressy has climbed to a career-high ranking of No. 66 in the live rankings as the result of his superb Aussie summer season.