Federer, Halep, Kerber, Sandgren, Chung into Australia Open last 8

FE Team | Published: January 22, 2018 21:32:42

South Korea's Hyeon Chung (L) and Serbia's Novak Djokovic talk after their men's singles fourth round match on day eight of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Monday. — AFP

MELBOURNE, Jan 22 (AFP): Ice-cool Roger Federer roared into an Australian Open quarterfinal with Tomas Berdych on Monday as world number one Simona Halep and former champion Angelique Kerber stayed on course for a potential last-four clash.
The Swiss defending champion swatted aside one-time training partner Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena to make the last eight for an incredible 14th time.
The Swiss maestro, 36, has made the quarters every year since 2004, bar a hiccup in 2015.
He will now play fellow veteran Berdych, a semi-finalist in 2014 and 2015 at his most successful major, who demolished Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Romania's Halep eased through 6-3, 6-2 over unseeded Naomi Osaka of Japan in just 81 minutes, delighted to be off court early after an epic and gruelling three-setter in the previous round.
While the win was easy, she continues to nurse a troublesome ankle that she rolled early in the tournament.
Germany's Kerber is the only Grand Slam champion left among the women, and she was given a big fright as she chases her second Melbourne Park crown after beating Serena Williams in 2016.
At one point Kerber was serving to stay in the match, but she bounced back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
The win set Kerber up with a clash against American Keys, a semi-finalist in 2015 who has found a new lease of life under the guidance of former great Lindsay Davenport.
Seeded 17, she flattened French eighth seed Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 in just 68 impressive minutes.
South Korean star Chung Hyeon dumped six-time champion Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open on Monday in the fourth round.
The 21-year-old beat the battle-weary Serb, who was clearly in pain as he stretched for balls, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) and will face American Tennys Sandgren in the quarter-finals.
Unheralded American Tennys Sandgren upset Austria's fifth seed Dominic Thiem over five sets to advance to the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.
The 97th-ranked Sandgren won 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 (7/4), 6-7 (7/9), 6-3 and will face Chung Hyeon in the last eight.