Unseeded 19 year old Australian Nick Kyrgios came back from two sets to love down and saved a match point to defeat Andreas Seppi 5-7, 4-6, 6-3, 7-6, 8-6. Kyrgios is now the first multiple Grand slam teenage grand slam quarter finalist since Roger Federer.
Seppi, who had defeated Roger Federer, the second seed, in the previous round, started off impressively, his solid backcourt game, net approaches, and unusually strong serving containing the big hitting game of Kyrgios and earning him a two sets to love lead. It looked like Seppi was on his way to reaching his first ever slam quarter final in his 40th attempt.
Kyrgios, who made his first slam last eight appearance on only his fifth try in a main draw, started to take more risks with his back to the wall and swept through the third set.
In the fourth, Seppi had a match point but Kyrgios served his way out of trouble and took the set on a tiebreaker.
An epic fifth set went down to the wire, Kyrgios eventually taking it 8-6. The Australian said memories of his comeback against Richard Gasquet, in which he saved nine match points, at last year’s Wimbledon, drove him on to grab the win.
Andy Murray will face Kyrgios in the last eight. The sixth seed beat tenth seed Grigor Dimitrov 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3, 7-5.
Murray started impressively to lead by a set and a break, but he lost focus and let Dimitrov back into the match. The Bulgarian played aggressively and was at his shot-making best as he took the second set on a tiebreaker.
That effort, however, sapped Dimitrov of his strength somewhat, and Murray took the third set.
Murray then came back from 2-5 down in the fourth after a couple of bad line calls frustrated Dimitrov and the Bulgarian finally imploded at 5-5 when he smashed his racket.
Murray held his own game together as Dimitrov’s fell apart and won the next two games to seal the win and reach his sixth consecutive quarter-final in Melbourne.
Rafael Nadal, the second seed, had no problems dealing with the big serve of Kevin Anderson. The Spaniard won 7-5, 6-1, 6-4 in a commanding performance.
He will face Tomas Berdych in the quarter-finals after the seventh seed defeated Bernard Tomic 6-2, 7-6, 6-2 in arguably the most impressive performance of the day.
Nadal and Berdych will meet in the quarter-final. The Spaniard leads the Czech 18-3 in their head to head.
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