Two five set matches that totalled eight hours and three minutes have once again proven that the race for the Australian Open men's title will be tightly contested.Yesterday, Croatia's Marin Cilic eliminated big Argentine, and my pick for the Open, Juan Martin del Potro. Seeded at number four, del Potro never really accelerated during the tournament. He never won a match in straight sets and, in truth, was lucky to even make it as far as he did.
After last year's U.S. Open triumph, del Potro has to contend with a fourth round exit in Melbourne. As I said before the open started, there was some concern over del Potro's wrist, however I didn't think that would affect him to much. Unfortunately for him, and me, a sore wrist combined with a lack of form have brought about his eventual downfall. Take nothing away from Cilic though, he is a genuine fighter. He's now beaten Bernard Tomic and del Potro and thoroughly deserves to make the quarter finals.
The other five set beauty was breathtaking viewing. Andy Roddick came back from a set down to defeat Chile's Fernando Gonzalez in a match that changed momentum numerous times. Channel 7 commentator, Jim Courier, last night said that Gonzalez is a momentum player, and when he's up and about, he's almost unstoppable. And Gonzalez's second and third sets were fine exmples, highlighted by some powerful ground strokes from the baseline.
However, Roddick found another gear in the final two sets to take out a sensational victory. The Americans serving was crucial, with 68% of his first serves forcing a return at an average speed of 198 km/h. Roddick now has the chance to win his second career grand slam title and will now face Cilic in the quarter finals.
On the women's side of the draw there have been some interesting results to say the least. Last year's finalist, Dinara Safina, shocked everyone by retiring due to a bad back against glamour girl Maria Kirilenko, who continues to impress. Kirilenko will now play China's Jie Zheng, who has gone under the radar throughout the entire tournament.
It should be a fascinating contest between Justine Henin and Nadia Petrova who are both in great form. Petrova knocked off last year's French Open winner Svetlana Kuznetsova, while Henin defeated fellow Beligian Yanina Wickmayer. Petrova is playing intimidating tennis at the moment and will be a tough opponent for Henin. The winner of this match will play either Zheng or Kirilenko. No disrespect to those two players, but Petrova and Henin should beat them comfortably. The Henin-Petrova contest now becomes one of the most crucial matches of the tournament.
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