STEFANOS TSITSIPAS BATTLED into the Australian Open’s last eight on Sunday but women’s top seed Iga Swiatek and a tearful Coco Gauff became the latest big-name victims.
Swiatek’s defeat to Elena Rybakina made it the first Grand Slam since the Open era began in 1968 to lose the top two seeds in both the men’s and women’s draws before the quarter-finals.
That left Greece’s Tsitsipas as the highest remaining men’s seed at three, and he avoided the fate of Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud with a dogged victory over Jannik Sinner.
Tsitsipas, who is pursuing a first major crown, defeated the Italian 15th seed 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 to set up a quarter-final with the unseeded Jiri Lehecka.
“It was a long match, I felt like I spent an entire century on this court playing tennis,” said the 24-year-old Tsitsipas, who has seen the draw open up for him with six of the top 10 seeds out.
“What a great night. That was superb, ‘a ripper’ as they say here.”
Czech world number 71 Lehecka defeated sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in four sets in yet another surprise result.
The 21-year-old Lehecka was knocked out in the first round at the four majors last year but was too hot for the Canadian, winning 4-6, 6-3, 7-6 (7/2), 7-6 (7/3).
“After losing in the first round last year, if someone had told me before the tournament that I would be playing like this, I wouldn’t have believed them,” said Lehecka.
“I’m super happy and excited.”
Giant-killer Sebastian Korda surged into a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final and faces 18th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia.
The American 29th seed came through a rollercoaster 10-point deciding tiebreak to beat 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (10/7).
Korda, whose father Petr won the title in 1998, produced one of the performances of his career to upset two-time Australian Open finalist Daniil Medvedev in the third round.
The women’s draw also has an unfamiliar look, after a day of shocks.
Wimbledon champion Rybakina swept past the 2022 French and US Open winner Swiatek 6-4, 6-4 in 1hr 29min at a stunned Rod Laver Arena.
Moscow-born Kazakh Rybakina, seeded 22, moves on to a last-eight encounter with Jelena Ostapenko.
World number one and hot favourite Swiatek admitted Rybakina deserved to win.
“I felt the pressure,” Swiatek, 21, said. “I felt that I didn’t want to lose instead of wanting to win.”
Swiatek, who dominated women’s tennis last year and is already a three-time major champion, added: “I felt today that I don’t have that much left to fight even more.”
She follows second seed Ons Jabeur out the Melbourne exit door, the Tunisian having gone out in the second round in another surprise.
Latvian 17th seed Ostapenko provided the second upset of a crazy few minutes by knocking out seventh seed Gauff 7-5, 6-3 on neighbouring Margaret Court Arena.
The 18-year-old American broke down in tears during an emotional post-match press conference.
She had been favourite to defeat Ostapenko, the 2017 French Open winner.
But the 25-year-old Ostapenko was always in control to ensure that Gauff must wait at least a little longer for a first major title.
Gauff told reporters it was a “little bit frustrating”, then her voice suddenly began to crack and the tears flowed.
There were no tears for Jessica Pegula however, the American third seed powering into the last eight with a 7-5, 6-2 win over former French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova.
Pegula, now the title favourite, faces two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka or unseeded Zhu Lin of China.
Who backs Delaney tho’ ? For such a small & beautiful country we accept a very low standard & we pay the wrong people way too much.
Delaney is a gormless plank,put into the FAI by his ticket tout father
Far from gormless.
Figure out how he can be removed from office, who has to agree to it and who pays their wages.
Nothing gormless about that.
Ah who cares, Trap is still manager. Just have to get used to it till he’s gone. COYBIG !!
Too little too late, both Delaney and Trapp are stuck in a greed warp, unconscionably high salaries and selling Irish soccer short. Under their stewardship, a cancer is taking hold of Irish football that is going to end up setting us back decades.
To appease fans, the big news is that Trapp is attending a match in England today – says it all that this is news. Delaney should go for giving this has been a new long term unaffordable contract before the Euros and Trapp should have been fired. Upcoming friendlys should be boycotted. €150,000 pa is more than enough to pay the FAI head.
Thats even too much for Delaney to be honest,he shouldn’t be there,look at the state if the irish league!!
Sick of the same news recycled by the press everyday about Trap , he’s the manager so let’s move on and back him up during the qualifiers because if we don’t do that we’ve no chance of getting to the world cup.
Trap and Delaney are symbolic of FG and Labour. Only concerned about bondholder payments to themselves.
What?
We hava gooda mentality and a gooda team.
If only.
That Delaney fella is some ass clown, he should have stepped down after the 33rd country comment after the French match, 450k a year for making comments like that. But sure why step down if your signing your own checks. His stupid head suits Irish soccer in fairness, annoying!!
Wolfgang do u read your comments before you post them??
No, why do u?
Sports administration at the highest level in any sport is all political and John Delaney is the consumate politician. No matter how you do the sums we cannot afford for Trap to go with bankrupting the FAI finanacially, so you might as well get used to having Trap until the end of the road for us at WC 2014 however soon it comes to an end for us.
look at the head of tardelli looks like he is hiding something from trap..I smell a rat!
Lol looks like he’s just farted and Trap’s just got wind of it!
LOL. Spot on Mac.
How much do the Irish government contribute toward the FAI either in direct subsidies or in tax breaks, allowances, advertising on pitches, employment grants, ticket purchases, the list goes on. Transparency please as their are people hungry in Ireland while Delaney is bleeding the system for pension and expenses plus his salary. How much will his pension cost as I think he will live to be 100 in spite of us all.
Trap should join Fianna Fail
So John delay gets paid 360000 a year , amount cut in fai grant aid to local clubs last year 370k , how are we still paying so much for such bad leadership and organisation?? A symbol of everything that’s wrong with country at the moment..