Women's Tennis

Iga Swiatek prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, over Maria Sakkari to win the BNP Paribas Open on Sunday in Indian Wells, California.

Serving for the match, Swiatek hit a forehand winner down the line to seal the victory.

Iga Swiatek is your #IndianWells WTA Champion!
She defeated Maria Sakkari in straight sets (6-4, 6-1). pic.twitter.com/M1z6PKiy36

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) March 20, 2022

This is already the Pole's second win of the season on the heels of her triumph in the Qatar TotalEnergies Open.

Swiatek might be the 2020 French Open champion and two spots higher in the WTA rankings, but Sakkari has had the head-to-head edge. The 26-year-old Greek won their first three meetings before Swiatek finally got in the win column last month in Qatar.

The conditions at Indian Wells weren't ideal, with a steady wind blowing through the stadium. As a result, neither player could find much consistency on serve.

Sakkari and Swiatek combined for 10 double faults in the first set alone. They also each won 42 percent of their total service points.

With the first set deadlocked at four games apiece, Swiatek held serve for just the second time. That put the pressure on Sakkari to respond in kind and prolong the opening frame.

Instead, Swiatek created three break-point opportunities in the game. During a rally in the third, Sakkari hit a backhand into the net to fall one set behind. That was her 20th unforced error to that point.

In Pole position 🏎

🇵🇱 @iga_swiatek edges the opener against Sakkari, 6-4!#IndianWells pic.twitter.com/7zB7VJej30

— wta (@WTA) March 20, 2022

A pair of unforced errors by Sakkari in the second game had her on the ropes again as Swiatek was staring at a set point. The No. 6 seed battled back to hold serve.

But Sakkari was unable to fend off her opponent when she was back on serve as Swiatek jumped ahead 3-1 with a service break.

Swiatek gets the early break in the second set to lead *3-1.

Serving at deuce, Sakkari puts in her 7th DF of the day and nets on break point. #IndianWells

— WTA Insider (@WTA_insider) March 20, 2022

It was a turning point in the set as Sakkari had a break point of her own in the previous game. She could've easily been up two games herself. The setback proved to be too much, as Swiatek took full control.

Particularly when she was able to load up on one of her forehands from the baseline, Sakkari could be untouchable at times.

sakk protekk

but she also attakk@mariasakkari | #IndianWells pic.twitter.com/GzTVUAt48a

— wta (@WTA) March 20, 2022

But Swiatek did a great job of targeting the backhand, and that led Sakkari's unforced error count to climb.

It was quite a statement performance from one of tennis' brighter stars, and her calm demeanor in finals belies her age (20):

https://twitter.com/darcymaine_espn/status/1505658580174843904

https://twitter.com/TennisPodcast/status/1505659261900275716

The Miami Open is the next stop for the WTA. Ashleigh Barty won the last two installments of the tournament but has withdrawn from the field.

Barty's absence could open the door for Sakkari or Swiatek to make another deep run and build momentum before the clay-court season swings into gear.

In a recent interview, Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai denied saying that a former Chinese political official sexually assaulted her and called the situation "an enormous misunderstanding."

According to the Associated Press' John Leicester, Peng spoke to French newspaper L'Equipe, which agreed to pre-conditions for the interview, such as publishing her comments verbatim and submitting questions in advance. An official for the Chinese Olympic Committee also "sat in on the discussion and translated her comments from Chinese."

Peng was asked about a November social media post from her verified Weibo account that said former Communist Party official Zhang Gaoli forced her to have sex despite her repeated refusals. Peng said the message of her post was misconstrued.

"Sexual assault? I never said that anyone made me submit to a sexual assault," Peng said.

She continued, "This post resulted in an enormous misunderstanding from the outside world. My wish is that the meaning of this post no longer be skewed."

Peng largely had been out of the public eye since writing the post, per Andrew Keh of the New York Times. Her disappearance from public life prompted concerns about her safety and well-being. Last month, some fans wore "Where is Peng Shuai?" shirts to the Australian Open.

The International Olympic Committee announced Sunday that Peng met with IOC President Thomas Bach in Beijing during the Winter Olympics. The IOC's statement made no mention of Peng's allegations.

IOC member Kirsty Coventry joined Bach and Peng. The statement said that Peng was at the Olympics and attended some events, including a curling match between China and Norway on Saturday night with Coventry.

"Kirsty Coventry and Peng Shuai also agreed that they would remain in contact," the statement said. "And all three agreed that any further communication about the content of the meeting would be left to her discretion."

Peng also discussed her disappointment in not qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics last summer. She added that she intends to travel to Europe when the COVID-19 pandemic is over. She also accepted an invitation to visit the IOC and the Olympic Museum.

Ash Barty defeated Danielle Collins on Saturday to become the first Aussie woman to capture the Australian Open women's singles title since Chris O'Neil in 1978.

It's the third major championship for Barty, who previously won the 2019 French Open and 2021 Wimbledon Championships. The No. 1 seed won all seven matches in the tournament without dropping a set, capping the dominant run with a 6-3, 7-6 (2) triumph at Melbourne Park.

Collins, an American who was the event's No. 27 seed, was making her first Grand Slam final appearance.

Barty came out firing in the first set, racking up 11 winners and five aces while winning 94 percent of the points on her first serve (15 of 16). She secured a break midway through the set and cruised to the early edge.

The second set was more of an adventure as Collins secured a pair of breaks to take a 5-1 lead, but the 25-year-old Australian stormed back by winning four straight games. She went on to grab a 4-0 lead in the tiebreaker en route to finishing the match in straight sets.

"This is just a dream come true for me, and I'm so proud to be an Aussie," Barty told reporters.

"It's a dream come true"

Ashleigh Barty. pic.twitter.com/DQd8dPwSQD

— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) January 29, 2022

She finished the match with sizable advantages in winners (30-17) and aces (10-1) to complete one of the most impressive Grand Slam runs in recent memory.

Collins, 28, has been a late bloomer by modern standards, as she didn't advance beyond the first round of a major until she was 25. She's making up for lost time, however, highlighted by a pair of WTA titles last year in the Palermo International and Silicon Valley Classic.

The University of Virginia product didn't play poorly in the championship match, finishing with the same number of unforced errors as her top-seeded counterpart (22), but she didn't have quite enough firepower to overcome an in-form Barty.

"I know that you'll be fighting for many more of these in the future."

Nothing but respect for Danielle Collins from the world No.1 💙#AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/6sRLDrTzdB

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 29, 2022

"It's been tremendous to watch her climb the rankings all the way to No. 1 and live out her dream. I really admire you as the player you are and the variety of your game," Collins said in her runner-up speech. "Hopefully I can implement some of that into mine."

Barty is now a U.S. Open singles title away from completing the career Grand Slam. She did win a doubles title at the season's final major in 2018 alongside CoCo Vandeweghe.

Reminder for those who needed to hear it:

Ashleigh Barty is the best tennis player in the world.

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) January 29, 2022

Her run in Melbourne, which saw her lose just 21 games across her first six matches, further establishes her as the player to beat on the WTA Tour for the remainder of 2022.

Meanwhile, the Australian Open wraps up Sunday as Rafael Nadal seeks his 21st Grand Slam title, which would be a men's all-time record, against Daniil Medvedev.

Top seed Ashleigh Barty will face 27th-seeded American Danielle Collins in the 2022 Australian Open women's final after their semifinal victories Thursday at Melbourne Park.

Barty, an Aussie who's trying to win her home Grand Slam for the first time, made quick work of Madison Keys (6-1, 6-3) to reach the championship match without dropping a set in the tournament.

Collins is set to make her first appearance in a major final after a similarly dominant triumph over Iga Swiatek (6-4, 6-1) on Day 11 of the season's first Grand Slam event.

Barty has looked borderline unstoppable throughout the tournament. She arrives to the final having lost just 21 games, including no more than four in any set. By comparison, Collins has lost 51 games and two sets over her first six matches.

Proof that red does in fact go faster 💨👟

🎥: @wwos • @espn • @eurosport • @wowowtennis @ashbarty • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/y8Au7Ws07I

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2022

The 25-year-old Australian owns two major titles, having won the 2019 French Open and the 2021 Wimbledon Championships. This will mark her first trip to the final in Melbourne after reaching at least the quarterfinals each of the past three years.

She called the chance to compete in front of home fans in pursuit of a Grand Slam title "incredible."

"As an Aussie, we are exceptionally spoilt that we're a Grand Slam nation—we get to play at home and in our backyard,” Barty said during her on-court interview. "I'm just happy that I get to play my best tennis here. I enjoy it. I've done well before, and now we have a chance to play for a title."

She'll be tough to beat on Saturday if she plays anywhere near the level she did against Keys. She held significant edges in winners (20-8) and aces (5-1) while winning 48 percent of points on the return against the 2017 U.S. Open finalist, whose serve is typically a key weapon.

That said, Collins, 28, put together a strong effort of her own to eliminate Swiatek, the 2020 French Open champion. She also built sizable advantages in winners (27-12) and aces (7-1) while winning 51 percent of the return points.

So, this is a matchup of two players at peak form, which should make for an entertaining final.

"To play against the number one player in the world in her home country, I think it's going to be really spectacular."

Bring it on 💪#AusOpen • #AO2022 • #AOinterview pic.twitter.com/6vjkumsgUn

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 27, 2022

It'll mark the fifth WTA Tour singles meeting between the duo. Barty won the first three matches, but Collins got in the win column with an upset in the second round of last year's Adelaide International.

The title match is scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Melbourne (3:30 a.m. ET in the U.S.).

Daniil Medvedev moved one step closer to his second successive Grand Slam title with a hard-fought, five-set victory over Felix Auger-Aliassime on Wednesday in the 2022 Australian Open quarterfinals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Iga Swiatek and Danielle Collins also punched their tickets to the semifinals during Day 10 play at Melbourne Park.

Let's check out for full list of singles results as the quarterfinals wrapped up in the season's first major tournament. That's followed by a recap of the action.

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Men's Draw

(2) Daniil Medvedev d. (9) Felix Auger-Aliassime; 6-7 (4), 3-6, 7-6 (2), 7-5, 6-4

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. (11) Jannik Sinner; 6-3, 6-4, 6-2

---

Women's Draw

(7) Iga Swiatek d. Kaia Kanepi; 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3

(27) Danielle Collins d. Alize Cornet; 7-5, 6-1

---

Day 10 Recap

Four months ago, Medvedev cruised past Auger-Aliassime in straight sets in the US Open semifinals. A few days later, he upset Novak Djokovic in the championship match to capture his first major title.

The 21-year-old Canadian rising star put up far more resistance Wednesday, playing some tremendous all-around tennis to win the first two sets. The end result was the same, however, as the 25-year-old Russian stormed back to advance.

While many of the final stats favored Auger-Aliassime, including winners (64-49) and aces (18-15), it was Medvedev who came up with the clutch points. In the fifth set, he converted his only break-point opportunity while his ninth-seeded counterpart went 0-for-6 in those situations.

The biggest question ahead of Friday's semifinal will be how quickly Medvedev can recover physically after a match that lasted four hours and 42 minutes. He commented on that issue after the win:

A word of warning from @DaniilMedwed 💯#AusOpen • #AO2022 • #AOinterview pic.twitter.com/HcIFGl954o

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2022

Medvedev owns a 6-2 advantage over Tsitsipas in their prior ATP Tour meetings, including a straight-sets win in last year's Australian Open semifinals.

Tsitsipas, 23, should hold the rest advantage as his match finished first and lasted just two hours and six minutes, as he made quick work of Sinner.

The Greece native is making his fifth Grand Slam semifinal appearance, but he is still looking for his first breakthrough on one of tennis' biggest stages.

His play Wednesday suggests he's got a real shot in Melbourne, as he recorded 30 winners and converted all four of his break chances while not allowing Sinner a single look at a break point.

"I think my humility helped a lot today," Tsitsipas said in his on-court interview. "I knew I was going on court facing a very good player. So I stayed intact and I tried to focus on my best shots and it kind of paid off more than I thought. I'm very, very happy with how I served, the way I came in, involved my tactics a lot in today's match structure."

Hang this in the Louvre 🎨

🎥: @wwos • @espn • #Eurosport • @wowowtennis @steftsitsipas • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/h0LWMtB0Bt

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2022

On the women's side, Swiatek rebounded from an error-riddled first set (22 unforced errors) to reach her first Grand Slam semifinal since winning the 2020 French Open.

It was far from the 20-year-old Poland native's most efficient performance, as she racked up 50 errors and 12 double faults, but she was able to make consistent inroads against the serve of unseeded Kanepi, winning 43 percent of points on the return and securing six breaks.

Stress level during this match point 1-10? 😰#AusOpen

🎥: Eurosportpic.twitter.com/JYuB3EeM9R

— wta (@WTA) January 26, 2022

Swiatek's chances to earn a second major title hinge on cleaning up the mistakes in the coming days.

She'll face a stiff challenge from Collins, who overwhelmed Cornet by winning 90 percent of her first-serve points (28 of 31) and recording a 28-11 edge in winners.

The 28-year-old American is appearing in a Grand Slam semifinal for just the second time. She lost to Petra Kvitova in the 2019 Australian Open semis.

Gutsy, resilient, a fighter.

All words to describe Danielle Collins 💪#AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/rauACVcNNb

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 26, 2022

Swiatek and Collins faced off once before on the WTA Tour, a quarterfinal match at the 2021 Adelaide International. Collins was forced to retire in the second set with a back injury after Swiatek won the opening set.

Looking ahead, both women's semifinals will take place Thursday in Melbourne. Top-seeded Ashleigh Barty will take on Madison Keys in the first match followed by Swiatek vs. Collins.

The men's semifinals—Medvedev vs. Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal vs. Matteo Berrettini—will take place Friday ahead of the championship matches over the weekend.

Rafael Nadal survived a five-set thriller against Denis Shapovalov to reach the semifinals of the 2022 Australian Open at Melbourne Park.

Women's top seed Ashleigh Barty, resurgent American Madison Keys and Matteo Berrettini were the other players to punch their tickets to the penultimate round of the season's first Grand Slam tournament on Tuesday.

Let's check out the full list of singles scores from Day 9 of the Australian Open. That's followed by a recap of the action.

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Men's Results

(6) Rafael Nadal d. (14) Denis Shapovalov; 6-3, 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-3

(7) Matteo Berrettini d. (17) Gael Monfils; 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-2

---

Women's Results

(1) Ashleigh Barty d. (21) Jessica Pegula; 6-2, 6-0

Madison Keys d. (4) Barbora Krejcikova; 6-3, 6-2

---

Day 9 Recap

Nadal was pushed to his physical limit by a gamely Shapovalov, who played a terrific match despite the loss with 53 winners and 20 aces. However, Nadal found a way to keep his hopes of setting the new all-time men's record for Grand Slam titles alive.

The 35-year-old Spaniard is currently tied with longtime rivals Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic with 20 major championships, but he hasn't captured the title at Melbourne Park since 2009. He's now just two wins away from ending that drought.

He'll benefit from an extra day of rest ahead of the semifinals on Friday, saying during his on-court interview the battle with Shapovalov left him "completely destroyed."

"After these matches, it's great to have two days off," Nadal said. "I hope and I really believe I am going to be ready for the semifinals. For me, it's everything to be able to play one more time in Rod Laver Arena in that semifinal match. I'm just excited and happy and can't thank everyone enough for the support."

He overcame a mediocre serving day (eight aces and 11 double faults) thanks to a strong winner-to-error ratio (41-28), great play at net (22 of 26) and coming up with three breaks on serve, including one early in the fifth set to turn the tide back in his favor.

Nadal advances to face Berrettini in the semifinals.

Similar to his counterpart in the next round, the Italian nearly let a two-set lead slip away Tuesday before storming back with a strong fifth set to advance. It's his third career appearance in a major semifinal as he continues to hunt his first Grand Slam title.

Berrettini recorded 51 winners and 12 aces in a highlight-filled encounter with the always-entertaining Monfils.

Poetry in motion 🇮🇹

🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis @MattBerrettini • #AO2022 • #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/1VYpruV87P

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

Nadal won their only previous ATP Tour meeting in straight sets at the 2019 US Open.

In the women's draw, Barty continued her run of dominance as she breezed past Pegula, who still matched her best Grand Slam result by reaching the quarterfinals.

The top-seeded Aussie overwhelmed the American in all aspects on Tuesday, however, finishing the win with clear advantages in winners (17-7), aces (6-1), breaks of serve (5-0) and percentage of return points won (50-24).

How to time things to perfection with @ashbarty 💥

🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/nV9mfyD6zL

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

"That was solid tonight," Barty told reporters. "I was able to serve and find a lot of forehands in the center of the court, and I was happy to take the game on; be aggressive off my forehand, not worry if I miss a couple as long as I'm doing the right thing, and I felt like I was able to do that the whole match."

She'll take on another American in Keys with a spot in the final on the line.

Keys was one of tennis' rising stars from late 2017 through 2018, a stretch that included three runs to major semifinals, including an appearance in the 2017 US Open final against Sloane Stephens.

After struggling to meet that standard in recent years, she's back in Grand Slam title contention after a wonderful display of power tennis on Tuesday. She tallied 27 aces and 11 winners as part of the lopsided upset of Krejcikova.

New year, new start for @Madison_Keys 👌 #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/HQytupheWk

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 25, 2022

Barty holds a 2-1 advantage in their prior WTA Tour meetings, but they haven't faced off since 2019.

The remaining quarterfinals will take place Wednesday in Melbourne.

Men's play will include a quartet of high seeds: No. 2 Daniil Medvedev vs. No. 9 Felix Auger-Aliassime and No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas vs. No. 11 Jannik Sinner.

A couple of unseeded contenders will be in action on the women's side as Kaia Kanepi challenges No. 7 Iga Swiatek and Alize Cornet faces off with No. 27 Danielle Collins.

Tennis Australia reversed a policy banning fans at the Australian Open from raising concerns about former Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai via protests.

Jake Michaels of ESPN reported the organization reversed the decision with the caveat that fans cannot disrupt the tournament.

Michaels also shared a statement from tournament director Craig Tiley:

Yes, as long as they are not coming as a mob to be disruptive but are peaceful. It's all been a bit lost in translation from some people who are not here and don't really know the full view.

The situation in the last couple of days is that some people came with a banner on two large poles and we can't allow that. If you are coming to watch the tennis that's fine, but we can't allow anyone to cause a disruption at the end of the day.

Ben Church and Angus Watson of CNN reported the tournament was "facing criticism" after security guards confiscated a banner from fans that read "Where Is Peng Shuai" and asked fans to cover up shirts with the same phrase.

The protest happened during a match between the United States' Madison Keys and China's Wang Qiang.

"I find it really, really cowardly," retired tennis champion Martina Navratilova said on the Tennis Channel. "This is not a political statement. This is a human rights statement."

Michaels noted Peng accused Chinese Communist Party member and retired Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of forcing her into sex. She then "disappeared from social media, with her whereabouts and well-being unclear" in the aftermath.

Church and Watson noted the Women's Tennis Association has suspended tournaments in China and called for a more thorough investigation into her allegations.

Fans at the Australian Open were asked to remove shirts that read "Where Is Peng Shuai?" during Saturday's action in Melbourne, per ESPN's Matt Walsh.

Walsh posted the original video on social media showing officers confiscating the clothing:

Interestingly, journalists can ask questions about the Peng Shuai situation to players, but fans, seemingly, aren't allowed to.... #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/SCqNlH2bOx

— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshMedia) January 23, 2022

A Tennis Australia spokesperson explained the decision in a statement to ESPN:

"Under our ticket conditions of entry we don't allow clothing, banners or signs that are commercial or political. Peng Shuai's safety is our primary concern. We continue to work with the WTA and global tennis community to seek more clarity on her situation and will do everything we can to ensure her well-being."

The WTA released a statement on Monday about the decision, via Adam Zagoria:

WTA statement on @AustralianOpen banning ‘Where is Peng Shuai T-shirts?’ pic.twitter.com/ZMCl1GNiDa

— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 24, 2022

Peng, a Chinese national who once climbed to No. 14 in the WTA singles rankings, said on social media in November that she was sexually assaulted by Zhang Gaoli, a former vice premier in the Chinese government.

After the initial post, the 36-year-old was not seen for several weeks and has only made limited public appearances over the past few months.

Peng later denied saying she was sexually assaulted.

Several players called attention to the situation on social media, while the WTA announced in December it would suspend its tournaments in China due to the ongoing situation.

The International Olympic Committee held a video call with Peng in November, but IOC spokesman Mark Adams backed off from guaranteeing her safety.

"We can't provide you with absolute certainty on anything," he said in December. "All we can do is do the best we can in the process that we believe is in the best interests of the well-being of the athlete."

The Winter Olympics are set to take place in Beijing in February.    

Rafael Nadal's straight-set victory over Adrian Mannarino highlighted the results from Day 7 at the 2022 Australian Open. 

Their fourth-round match was highlighted by a first-set tiebreak that featured 30 points between the two players before Nadal was able to put it away. He cruised through the next two sets, only dropping a total of four games. 

BEAST MODE🔛😤

🇪🇸@RafaelNadal secures his place into the quarterfinals with a 7-6 6-2 6-2 victory over 🇫🇷Adrian Mannarino at the #AusOpen

🎥: @AustralianOpen | #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/LH1YCTqJBl

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 23, 2022

The entire match took 2 hours, 40 minutes to complete, with the first set taking up 82 minutes alone. Nadal had 16 aces in the match, with seven of them coming in the opening set. 

Saturday's win moves Nadal into the quarterfinals for the sixth straight year. The Spanish superstar lost to Dominic Thiem in the 2020 quarterfinal. 

Here are the notable results from the fourth round at the Australian Open. 

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Men's Singles

No. 6 Rafael Nadal def. Adrian Mannarino, 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2

No. 7 Matteo Berrettini def. No. 19 Pablo Carreno Busta, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-4

No. 14 Denis Shapovalov def. No. 3 Alexander Zverev, 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3

No. 17 Gael Monfils def. Miomir Kecmanovic, 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3

---

Women's Singles

No. 1 Ashleigh Barty def. Amanda Anisimova, 6-4, 6-3

No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova def. No. 24 Victoria Azarenka, 6-2, 6-2

Madison Keys def. No. 8 Paula Badosa, 6-3, 6-1

No. 21 Jessica Pegula def. No. 5 Maria Sakkari, 7-6 (0), 6-3

Full results via AusOpen.com

Nadal will take on No. 14 Denis Shapovalov in the quarterfinal after the 22-year-old upset Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 on Saturday. 

S & V - Shapo & volley 🎾 @denis_shapo · #AusOpen · #AO2022
🎥: @wwos · @espn · @eurosport · @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/4ttE0VJAMy

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2022

Shapovalov did a fantastic job of containing Zverev's big serve. The 24-year-old German came into the match averaging 14.7 aces in the first three rounds of the tournament, but he only had three in the fourth round combined with eight double-faults. 

Zverev had not dropped a set in his previous three matches, though he did have a close call with two tiebreaks in the first round against Daniel Altmaier. This marks his first time not reaching the Australian Open quarterfinals since 2019 when he was also knocked out in the fourth round. 

Saturday's win sent Shapovalov into the fourth round of this tournament for the first time in his career. Nadal has won four of five head-to-head meetings between the two, including the ATP Masters 1000 in Rome last May. 

On the women's side of the bracket, No. 1 Ashleigh Barty continues to steamroll the competition as she chases her first Australian Open title. The 25-year-old needed just 74 minutes to finish a 6-4, 6-3 win over Amanda Anisimova. 

"You shall not pass!" 🙅‍♀️

Featuring the world No.1

🎥: @wwos • @espn • @Eurosport • @wowowtennis @ashbarty • #AusOpen • #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/0XYM1peULy

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2022

Barty had seven aces, won all six of her net-point chances and converted four of 11 break points. She has yet to drop a set in the tournament. Anisimova became the first person in the tournament to win four games in a single set against her through four matches. 

Jessica Pegula will look to slow down Barty's momentum. The American continued her career-best run at the Australian Open with an upset win over No. 5 Maria Sakkari in the fourth round. 

Since dropping her first set in the opening round against Anhelina Kalinina, Pegula has won eight straight sets to reach her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. 

The biggest upset of the day saw Madison Keys send No. 8 Paula Badosa home with a 6-3, 6-1 victory. The American has now defeated two of the top 11 seeds in the tournament. The 26-year-old beat No. 11 Sofia Kenin in the first round. 

Badosa was her own worst enemy in the loss. She committed 10 double-faults and had 20 unforced errors. 

Keys is in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the first time since 2018. She will have to pull off another upset to keep this run going when she takes on No. 4 Barbora Krejcikova on Monday. 

No. 2 seed Aryna Sabalenka continued her impressive display of overcoming adversity Saturday with her third straight three-set victory, this time over No. 31 seed Marketa Vondrousova, to reach the fourth round of the 2022 Australian Open.

Two top-five seeds, No. 2 Daniil Medvedev and No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, were among the winners on the men's side on Day 6 of the season's first Grand Slam tournament.

Let's check out the full list of the day's third-round singles results from Melbourne Park. That's followed by a recap of the action.

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Women's Draw

(2) Aryna Sabalenka d. (31) Marketa Vondrousova; 4-6, 6-3, 6-1

(7) Iga Swiatek d. (25) Daria Kasatkina; 6-2, 6-3

Sorana Cirstea d. (10) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova; 6-3, 2-6, 6-2

(14) Simona Halep d. Danka Kovinic; 6-2, 6-1

(19) Elise Mertens d. Shuai Zhang; 6-2, 6-2

(27) Danielle Collins d. Clara Tauson; 4-6, 6-4, 7-5

Alize Cornet d. (29) Tamara Zidansek; 4-6, 6-4, 6-2

Kaia Kanepi d. Maddison Inglis; 2-6, 6-2, 6-0

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Men's Draw

(2) Daniil Medvedev d. Botic van de Zandschulp; 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

(4) Stefanos Tsitsipas d. Benoit Paire; 6-3, 7-5, 6-7 (2), 6-4

(27) Marin Cilic d. (5) Andrey Rublev; 7-5, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-3

(9) Felix Auger-Aliassime d. (24) Daniel Evans; 6-4, 6-1, 6-1

(11) Jannik Sinner d. Taro Daniel; 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1

(20) Taylor Fritz d. (15) Roberto Bautista Agut; 6-0, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3

(32) Alex de Minaur d. Pablo Andujar; 6-4, 6-4, 6-2

Maxime Cressy d. Christopher O'Connell; 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3, 6-2

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Day 6 Recap

Sabalenka has dropped the opening set in each of her first three matches in the Australian Open, in large part because of her struggles with consistency from the service line. She's already recorded 41 double-faults in the tournament, including 10 against Vondrousova.

The 23-year-old Belarusian rising star has been a depiction of resiliency as she's bounced back each time, typically in pretty dominant fashion. Here's a look at the breakdown of her performance by set:

• First Set: 17 games lost
• Second Set: 10 games lost
• Third Set: 5 games lost

So she's lost more games in the first set than the rest of the match combined, and she's been in firm control of the deciding third set on each occasion.

"Feels like I'm warming up in the first set and then I start playing," Sabalenka said Saturday. "I don't know. I really want to win it in two sets, and I think that's why I'm getting, like, so emotional in the first set, and that's why I'm like over-trying and I'm missing a lot."

It's all about taking the positives 😂 @SabalenkaA · #AusOpen · #AO2022 pic.twitter.com/OJioA8Zmen

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022

Aside from the service errors, she played quite well to take down Vondrousova with a sizable advantage in winners (36-24), a strong showing at net (15 of 24) and five breaks of serve.

She'll look to put her first-set issues in the rearview mirror when she takes on unseeded Kanepi in the round of 16.

Medvedev put together his most comprehensive match of the tournament so far to eliminate van de Zandschulp and further establish himself as the player to beat on the men's side.

The reigning U.S. Open champion owned a plus-seven winner-to-error ratio (26-17), smacked 10 aces, won 82 percent of the points on his first serve and 40 percent of points on the return.

Medvedev magic ✨
@DaniilMedwed · #AusOpen · #AO2022
🎥: @wwos · @espn · @eurosport · @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/wSWq1d71Uq

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022

Medvedev will be a heavy favorite against Cressy, an unseeded UCLA product, in the fourth round and, if he continues to play at the level he displayed Saturday, he owns a great chance to capture his second straight major title.

Tsitsipas is one of the players with a realistic shot to stop the Russian star's march toward the final as they remain on a potential semifinal collision course.

The 23-year-old Greek sensation has reached the Australian Open semis in two of the past three years and moved one step closer to another deep run with the triumph over Paire.

Besides a brief hiccup in the third-set tiebreak, it was a pretty impressive showing from Tsitsipas, who racked up 47 winners and 21 aces.

The satisfying squeak of a hardcourt slide 😍

Great hustle from @steftsitsipas.#AusOpen · #AO2022
🎥: @wwos · @espn · @Eurosport · @wowowtennis pic.twitter.com/gGwj9jlP2C

— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 22, 2022

He'll face 20th-seeded Fritz with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

Looking ahead to Sunday's play, a clash between third-seeded Alexander Zverev and Denis Shapovalov will headline the action in the men's draw. Rafael Nadal will also continue his pursuit of a record-setting 21st Grand Slam title when he takes on Adrian Mannarino.

Top seed Ashleigh Barty will be in action in the women's draw as she faces off with American Amanda Anisimova, who's coming off an upset of Naomi Osaka. Two other top-five seeds, No. 4 Barbora Krejcíkova and No. 5 Maria Sakkari, will also look to punch their quarterfinal tickets on Day 7.