We're into the first weekend of the Open where the men are separated from the boys (and women from the girls, of course). With the temperatures soaring nobody will want to be out there for very long. Some, however, do not have the luxury.
Berdych and Almagra had a gruelling and controversy-filled match in the heat of the day, with Berdych eventually coming through 4-6 7-6 7-6 7-6. It was a hard-fought win for the Czech but he will not remember the match for his victory, rather the unsporting behaviour of his opponent and his own refusal to shake hands at the end of the game.
Almagra, who I have heard is not one of the most popular guys on tour, appeared to hit a volley straight at Berdych. The Spaniard apologised immediately but Berdych was having none of it and showed his displeasure by refusing his opponents handshake. This was met by a series of boos from the crowd and Berdych later admitted he'd made a mistake.
Tsonga played Japan's dark horse Nishikori in the fourth round and was sensationally beaten in five gripping sets - 2-6 6-2 6-1 3-6 6-3. Nishikori has become only the second Japanese player to make the last eight in the Open-era.
He will be play Murray in the quarter-final after the Scot enjoyed an easy progress into the next round after his fourth round opponent Mikhail Kukushkin retired when 6-1 6-1 1-0 down.
The most entertaining fourth round match was between Djokovic and Hewitt (has anyone ever noticed just how squeaky his shoes are? It's deafening!), perhaps playing in his last home Slam. The Aussie stalwart, whose crazy fans were as loud and brilliant as ever throughout the four-set night-match thriller, played some of his best tennis in years to take a set off the formidable world number one. Djokovic eventually proved too much for the Adelaide legend but if that is going to be his last match at the Australian Open, he can leave a happy man.
Federer, Nadal, Ferrer and Del Potro all progressed in straight sets to the last eight.
The women's side has seen some fabulous matches over the last few days and one such garnered the biggest shock of the tournament so far - unseeded Makarova beat six-time champion Serena Williams 6-2 6-3. It was an imperious display from the little-known Russian and put paid to Williams' hopes of ending her dry spell.
Sharapova beat Lisicki in a tight 3-6 6-2 6-3 encounter. Germany's Lisicki has been on another impressive run in a Grand Slam but couldn't fight the Screamer's onslaught. Sharapova hit a whole host of winners in the second and third sets and will move into the quarter-finals on a high.
Azarenka, Radwanska and Errani had easy routes into the quarter finals, only losing nine games between them.
The match of the round was defending champion Kim Clijsters against China's Li Na. Kim rolled her ankle at the very start of the match and looked to be in some trouble as she called the trainer straight away and took a medical time out. She lost the first set to a gleeful Li and quickly fell 5-2 down in the second. It was looking ominous for last years winner but as so often happens in tennis when the pressure is off, the shoulders open up and the winners start flying. Kim broke back and took Li to a tie-break, saving no less than six match points in the process, then winning an incredibly tense breaker 8-6. So into a third set they went and suddenly Clijsters was in the ascendency. She duly broke and weathered a barrage of fine hitting from the Chinese number one to win the set and the match 4-6 7-6 6-4.
She said afterwards that she could not believe she'd won, that she'd thought about quitting when she'd lost the first set. Thank goodness she didn't. I say again, for those who do not like ladies tennis, watch that match.
World numbers one and two beat two former number ones to reach the quarters. Wozniacki overcame a defiant Jankovic 6-0 7-6 and Kvitova defeated Ivanovic 6-2 7-6.
Next up it's the quarter finals and I'm pleased to say the first four have already been played - two men's, two women's.
In the ladies there were two very juicy line ups as Azarenka took on in-form Radwanska and Clijsters played Wozniacki.
Azarenka has looked nothing but impressive so far but Radwanska has been creeping through the rounds with barely a game gone against her. The first set was a tight affair with some amazing play that went, almost inevitably, to a tie-break. Radwanska then turned on the craftiness as Azarenka fell apart and lost it to love. Radwanska was to feel that pain in the second set as Azarenka adjusted her game and won six straight games to hand Radwanska her first bagel of the year. The third set was pretty much one-way traffic as Azarenka ratcheted it up a few more gears and a shaken Radwanska fell further and further away. A very entertaining 6-7 6-0 6-2 match.
Azarenka goes on to play Kim Clijsters in the semi-final who played a beauty of a match against no-longer-world-number-one Caroline Wozniacki. That's right, her defeat means she will lose her crown with Kvitova, Sharapova or Azarenka all poised to take it.
Clijsters won 6-3 7-6 with an imperious display over the young pretender. She used her scary flexibility to get some crazy shots back and then turned defence into attack with some breath-taking strokes, especially her backhand. Wozniacki rallied in the second set and pushed Clijsters all the way but the Belgian was just too good for her and moves one-step closer to defending her title.
The men's mouth-watering match ups saw Federer take on Del Potro and Nadal meet Berdych.
The Federer/Del Potro game was one I thought could be a real ding-dong affair, thinking back on their US Open tussle all those years ago before the Argentinians injury troubles began. Federer, however, proved me and many a tennis fan wrong by completely dominating him from start to finish. The Swiss master was at his tantalising best, skipping around the court and hitting some delicious backhands (yes, backhands). He sailed through 6-4 6-3 6-2, barely breaking a sweat in his 1000th tour match. A masterclass from the master.
Nadal was greatly troubled by Thomas Berdych and took more than four hours to beat the big Czech. He lost the first set on a tie break where an awful line call (one f far too many at the Aussie Open this year) flustered him and ultimately handed Berdych the set. Nadal, never one to sulk, came out firing in the second set and was quickly 5-2 up, only to find himself pegged back to 5-5 and then another tie-break as Berdych's shots once again caused havoc.
The Czech squandered a set point and Nadal jumped on that error to level the match at one set all. I'm sure he could sniff a whiff of weakness in his opponent and he rampaged on to take the next two sets to four and three. Berdych played a great game and was hitting his shots until the very end but Nadal stepped up to that gear that Berdych just doesn't have.
So we have our first semi-final line up and it's the one everybody wanted. Finally they meet in a match that isn't a final, that doesn't have a trophy at stake. A match where they can just play tennis. Federer is playing better than he ever has and Nadal is looking more and more like his old self. We could have a serious match on our hands folks.
Today the remaining quarters will be played with Kvitova taking on surprise quarter-finalist Errani; Sharapova meeting Serena-killer Makarova; Murray playing on-form Nishikori; and Djokovic coming up against dangerous Ferrer - their head-to-head just 6-5 in Djoko's favour. Close close close.
I'll keep you blogged...
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