No. 19 seed Madison Keys caused an upset on Day 9 of the Australian Open, defeating No. 6 Elena Rybakina 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 at Margaret Court Arena to reach the tournament quarterfinals.
Rybakina battled a back injury during the match but managed to win the second set. However, she struggled against Keys’ consistent returns.
Keys, who had lost her previous two matches against Rybakina, has now won nine consecutive matches.
“I really had just had to focus on getting as many returns in play today. Her serve is such a weapon,” Keys said in her post-match interview. “I knew that if I could just try to make at least some of her service games competitive, I had a chance.”
Keys will now face Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinal match scheduled for Wednesday. Svitolina advanced by defeating Veronika Kudermetova in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.
On the men’s side, defending champion Jannik Sinner overcame illness to defeat No. 13 Holger Rune, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2. Sinner will now face Alex De Minaur in the quarterfinals.
“Today was a very strange morning. I didn’t even warm up today, trying to go on court as fit as I could,” Sinner told Jim Courier after the match. “I knew in my mind right before the match that I would struggle today.”
Sinner’s victory marked his 18th consecutive hard-court Grand Slam match win, making him the youngest men’s player to achieve this feat since John McEnroe in 1981.
Meanwhile, Alex De Minaur became the first Australian men’s player to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals since Nick Kyrgios in 2015. De Minaur will face Sinner in the upcoming quarterfinal match.
“It means the world,” De Minaur said, post-match. “There is nothing I want to do more than play well here in Australia in front of you guys, so I am glad I finally made it to a quarter-finals here. Let’s go for bigger and better things.”
De Minaur expressed his excitement at reaching the quarterfinals and looks forward to further success in the tournament.
In the women’s draw, No. 8 seed Emma Navarro advanced to the quarterfinals after a hard-fought victory over No. 9 Daria Kasatkina. Navarro will face No. 2 seed Iga Swiatek in the next round.
“I don’t feel like I’m in my peak yet but matches like that definitely give me confidence,” Swiatek said in her post-match interview. “I feel like I’m playing a good game.”
Swiatek, who has been dominant in the tournament so far, remains focused on improving her game.
Off the court, Swiatek’s recent doping suspension was not appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency, as it was determined to be the result of contamination.
Overall, the Australian Open continues to deliver thrilling matches and surprises as players vie for a spot in the later stages of the tournament.