The Australian Open has seen an action-packed Day 8 on January 19, Sunday as the first set of games of the fourth round were played. In the men's competition, the likes of Novak Djokovic, Jiri Lehecka, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, and Tommy Paul were in action. Ten-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic comfortably moved past the challenge of Jiri Lehecka and became the first an to beat Lehecka this year, getting the better of the 23-year-old 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(4) to move into his 15th Australian Open quarterfinal and his 61st at all of the majors. He will take on Carlos Alcaraz in his next game, setting up a blockbuster quarterfinal encounter. Australian Open 2025: Daniil Medvedev Fined USD 76,000 for His On-Court Outbursts.

Alcaraz, meanwhile, got a walkover as he only needed two sets on court as his opponent Jack Draper retired with a hip injury with the Spaniard leading 7-5, 6-1.  Tommy Paul also proceeded to the quarterfinal after cruising against Spain’s Alejandro Davidovich Fokina 6-1, 6-1, 6-1. Fokina's fatigue from his last two matches played a big role in the result. World No.2 Alexander Zverev dropped the second set of his fourth-round meeting with French No.1 Ugo Humbert but didn’t encounter too much stress thereafter en route to a 6-1, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win. Zverev will clash with Paul in the quarterfinal.

In the Women's singles, Paula Badosa moved on to the quarterfinal with a 6-1, 7-6(2) victory over young Serb Olga Danilovic, who had taken out seventh seed Jessica Pegula in the third round. Former world No.2 Badosa was 5-2 down in the second before racing through the remainder of that set and will next face third seed Coco Gauff. Gauff, meanwhile, cruised through sets two and three after dropping the first one to win 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 in two hours, 26 minutes. Aryna Sabalenka Becomes Youngest Women to Win 18 Consecutive Grand Slam Hard Court Matches Since Serena Williams, Achieves Feat Defeating Mirra Andreeva at Australian Open 2025.

Two-time defending champion Aryna Sabalenka raced into the quarterfinals after brushing aside talented teenager Mirra Andreeva 6-1, 6-2 in just 62 minutes. The world No.1 will go up against a former Roland-Garros finalist, 33-year-old Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who saw off injured 18th seed Donna Vekic 7-6(0) 6-0 in the other women’s fourth-round match.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 19, 2025 11:02 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).