MELBOURNE, Australia – [14] Denis Shapovalov (CAN) and [21] Jessica Pegula (USA) are through to the quarterfinals at the 2022 Australian Open. Unseeded Romanian Sorana Cîrstea is looking for her first quarterfinal appearance at a major since 2009.
Shapo Stuns
Denis Shapovalov scored arguably the biggest upset of the fortnight so far with a straight-set victory over World No. 3 Alexander Zverev to reach the last 8 for the first time in Melbourne.
Shapovalov, who switched to the 7th generation EZONE in the offseason, fought through a couple four and five-set matches in the early stages of the tournament, but against Zverev, it all came together.
“I think off the ground I was playing really well, really feeling my shots off both wings,” said Shapovalov, who captured the second top-5 victory of his career. “I played pretty smart today, it felt like things were going my way early on.”
The Canadian hit 35 winners to Zverev’s 18, capitalized on 4 of 6 breakpoint opportunities, and became just the third Canadian ever to make the quarterfinals.
Shapovalov plays [6] Rafael Nadal for a spot in the semifinals.
Pegula Pounces
There’s something special about Melbourne as of recent for Jessica Pegula. Pegula’s 2021 rise to the top-20 began at last year’s Australian Open with a surprise semifinal run.
The American is back into the quarterfinals again after upsetting fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari in straight sets. A 55-minute first set ended in a tiebreaker where Pegula swept 7-straight points to take a one-set lead. A quick break in the second at 2-1 was all the Pegula needed to advance with a 7-6, 6-3 victory.
"I thought I really had to step up and be aggressive when I had the chances to,” said Pegula. “Luckily, I was able to capitalize on that pretty well today and play a pretty clean match.”
Pegula will play World No. 1 Ashleigh Barty for a spot in another Australian Open semifinal.
Doubles Delight
Australians Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis have given the Aussie crowds three-straight matches of entertaining doubles and are into the quarterfinals. The duo, who played their first Australian Open together in the junior event in 2013, upset the World No. 1 pair in the second round and the 15th-seeded pair in third.
"I feel like favorites out there with doubles," said Kyrgios, who has recorded the fastest serve of the tournament at 228 kph (142 mph).
American Marcos Giron and Japan’s Ben Mclachlan will also be playing for a spot in the quarterfinals on Monday with their respective partners, while Dayana Yastremska, Nicole Melichar-Martinez, Victoria Kuzmova, and Ena Shibahara are still in contention on the women’s side.
Juniors & Wheelchair Begin
Nearly 30% of the junior draw is represented by Team Yonex.
World No. 1 Petra Marcinko (CRO) is the favorite on the girls’ side. The 16-year-old won the prestigious Orange Bowl event in the US prior to her trip to Australia.
In Wheelchair Singles, World No. 1 Shingo Kunieda is looking for his 11th Australian Open title, while Diede de Groot, who captured the Golden Slam in 2021 and is also the top-ranked player in the world, is going for Grand Slam singles win No. 13.
Quad Wheelchair player Heath Davidson made the singles semifinals for the first time in his career and is paired with fellow Aussie Dylan Alcott in doubles.
Official Partner of the Australian Open
The Yonex Stringing Team is the Official Stringing Team of the Australian Open for the 7th-straight year. The 2022 team consists of 19 stringers from 11 countries and is dedicated to providing the world standard of racquet stringing and is supported by the Made-in-Japan PRECISION 9.0 machines that excel in precision stringing.
