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Nishikori, Sharapova, Williams first players through to Australian Open quarter-finals

Xinhua, January 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Kei Nishikori, Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams have become the first players into the last eight of this year's Australian Open.

Nishikori toughed out an entertaining 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 win over 2008 Open finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Sunday.

It's the fifth consecutive year Nishikori, Asia's highest ranked player, has made the second week of the year's first Grand Slam.

No matter how hard the Tsonga tried, the explosive Frenchman could not hit his way past the brickwall-like defence of Nishikori.

Obviously frustrated, pro-Tsonga fans in Hisense Arena lifted the 30-year-old out of a hole as he faced the prospect of going down a double break in the third.

But, eventually, Tsonga ran out of chances to pull himself back into the game as Nishikori closed out the match in a tick over two hours.

It was more of a slog across on Rod Laver Arena for world No. 5 Maria Sharapova.

Despite putting together a 7-5, 7-5 victory, the Russian spent more than two hours on court in her fourth-round encounter against 12th-seed Belinda Bencic.

Sharapova was forced to go for break to gain the ascendency over her younger opponent, hitting an astounding 21 aces and 58 winners. But the 28-year-old's incredible stat-line was tempered by seven double faults and 46 unforced errors.

The 2008 Australian Open champion will now face nemesis Serena Williams in a replay of last year's final, after the world number one American beat another Russian, Margarita Gasparyan, 6-2, 6-1 in the fourth-round.

Sharapova, on the wrong side of a 18-2 win-loss record against the 21-time Grand Slam champion, has not beaten Williams since 2004.

"I obviously expect to play her ... but we will see the result of that," Sharapova said in her on-court interview, before WIlliams' match had finished.

"It was a great final last year against each other. I came quite close in that second set, but not close enough.

"I look forward to playing the best in the world and that's what she's proven the last year and many years, and it will be a great match." Endit