MELBOURNE (AFP) – Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka take the next step in their campaigns to retain their Australian Open titles Tuesday with tricky quarter-finals to negotiate in Melbourne.
Serbian top seed Djokovic faces American 12th seed Taylor Fritz, while the Belarusian world number two tackles ever-consistent Czech star Barbora Krejcikova.
Djokovic, gunning for an 11th title and record 25th Grand Slam crown, ran rings around fourth-round opponent Adrian Mannarino, losing just three games.
But he is expecting a harder test from Fritz, who beat last year's finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas to set up their afternoon showdown at Rod Laver Arena.
"I'm really excited to enter the second week. I look forward to the battles because obviously the opponents are higher-ranked," said the 36-year-old.
"I play Fritz. There's no easy matches, no doubt about that.
"But the experience of knowing what I need to do with my own body, with my training, with the maintaining of the kind of level, I guess tennis-related specifics that I need to work on, and also recovery has been on point."
The winner will meet either in-form Italian fourth seed Jannik Sinner or Russia's fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who face off in the evening.
Both are targeting their first taste of a Melbourne Park semi-final.
Like Djokovic, Sabalenka was ruthless in her fourth-round match and has conceded just 11 games so far to position herself as the red-hot title favourite.
But she too is expecting a more thorough examination from ninth seed Krejcikova.
"Barbora, we played a lot of matches. She plays really well. I think she's coming back after injuries, so also super-motivated. Always a tough battle," she said.
Awaiting the winner will be either US Open champion and fourth seed Coco Gauff or unseeded Ukrainian Marta Kostyuk.
Like Sabalenka, Gauff is another in player in form and said she had learned from her experience of winning at Flushing Meadows last year.
"Super-happy to be in this position and be here. Hopefully I can keep going for more," she said.