Three-time major champion Angelique Kerber was stunned 6-0, 6-2 by Danielle Collins of the US in just 56 minutes in the fourth round of the Australian Open on Sunday, 20 January.
Collins had a 0-5 career record in Grand Slam tournaments until this one. But she has now added an upset of No. 2 Kerber to earlier victories over a pair of seeded women, No. 14 Julia Goerges and No. 19 Caroline Garcia.
Collins was the more aggressive player throughout and finished with a resounding 29-6 edge in total winners.
The former University of Virginia player will face 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova next.
Barty Provides Aussie Party
Ash Barty beat Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final and gave Australian its first woman that deep in a major tournament since 2009.
Barty opened the deciding set by breaking Sharapova's serve, helped by two of Sharapova 10 double-faults in the match. It came minutes after the capacity crowd lustily booed Sharapova when she returned from an extraordinary long toilet break after the second set.
Barty broke 2008 champion Sharapova's serve again to lead 3-0, helped by two unforced errors by the Russian and went up 4-0 while holding serve with four straight points. Sharapova faced more break points in the next game but held serve, ending a winning streak of nine consecutive games by Barty.
Sharapova, who beat defending champion Caroline Wozniacki in the third round, broke Barty's serve in the next game and then closed to 4-3 in a game which included the point of the tournament – a 21-shot rally that included great gets by both players and ended with a wide backhand by Barty.
Barty was forced to save two break points in the next game, but held to go up 5-3. After Sharapova held in the next game, she saved one match point before Barty ended the 2-hour 22-minute match with an ace.
The Australian will next play two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, who beat 17-year-old American Amanda Anisimova in straight sets.
Nadal Sails, Cilic & Dimitrov Fail
Second-seeded Rafael Nadal swept to his 20th victory in 24 attempts over Tomas Berdych with a 6-0, 6-1, 7-6 (4) win to advance to the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Nadal won the first nine games of the match and when Berdych finally got on the board in the 10th, the Czech player held his left arm up in mock celebration. Berdych came back strongly in the third set and had a set point in the 12th game before Nadal dominated the tiebreaker.
The last time the players met here, in 2015, Berdych beat the Spaniard in straight sets to end a 17-match losing streak against Nadal.
It is the 11th time that Nadal has reached the quarter-finals here. He will next play 21-year-old American Frances Tiafoe.
Tiafoe had earlier celebrated his 21st birthday in style with a 7-5, 7-6 (6), 6-7 (1), 7-5 win over No. 20-seeded Grigor Dimitrov to advance to his first Grand Slam quarter-final.
Tiafoe, who received treatment on his right forearm at the end of the third set, broke Dimitrov's serve in the 11th game of the fourth then held serve to end the 3-hour, 39-minute match.
In typical style, Tiafoe took off his t-shirt, flexed his right bicep and waved to the crowd. Then he sat in his chair and covered his head with a towel.
The world number 39 adds Dimitrov to a conquest-list at Melbourne Park which already featured No. 5 Kevin Anderson and veteran Andreas Seppi.
An even bigger upset ensued in the evening session’s action at the Margaret Court Arena, as sixth seed and 2018 runner-up Marin Cilic was sent packing after a marathon five-set defeat to Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut.
The big-serving Croatian had returned from the brink of elimination in his previous outing – seeing Fernando Verdasco double-fault on match point before surviving a 4-hour, 18-minute epic to reach the round of 16 – but a repeat of the same wasn’t to be.
No. 22-seeded Bautista Agut claimed the decisive break of serve in the ninth game of the deciding set to eke out a 6-7, 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 win with the clock two minutes from touching the four-hour mark.
The 30-year-old enters the quarter-final of a major for the first time, having previously lost nine fourth round matches at Grand Slam tournaments.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)