Stunning Day for the Greats at Aussie Open

Federer goes down in a shocker as the new kids romp in Melbourne
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 20, 2019 7:37 AM CST
Stunning Day for the Greats at Aussie Open
United States' Amanda Anisimova makes a backhand return to Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic during their fourth round match at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Sunday, Jan. 20, 2019.   (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

The Australian Open is proving one for the ages—just not the aged. As the AP reports, Roger Federer failed to defend his two consecutive titles on Sunday in a stunning loss to 20-year-old Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Tsitsipas becomes the first Greek to advance this far at a major, but the fifth player on Sunday to achieve their first berth in a Grand Slam quarterfinal—four of whom advanced at the expense of a Grand Slam champ. A look around the courts in Melbourne:

  • Roberto Bautista Agut ended a streak of nine consecutive defeats in the fourth round with a victory against 2014 US Open winner Marin Cilic, last year's runner-up to Federer at the Australian Open.
  • Frances Tiafoe turned 21 with a win over No. 20-seeded Grigor Dimitrov, a semifinalist in Australia and Wimbledon.
  • Ash Barty became the first Australian woman in a decade to advance to the quarterfinals on home turf, defeating five-time major winner Maria Sharapova of Russia.
  • American Danielle Collins had never won a Grand Slam match, and her first came at the expense of three-time major champion Angelique Kerber of Germany.
(More Australian Open stories.)

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