Rafael Nadal struggled into his first Grand Slam quarter-final since 2015 at the Australian Open on Monday, as Serena Williams accelerated towards a record title and the number one ranking.
Serena Williams kept up her pursuit of a record Grand Slam title and a return to world number one on Monday as she reached the Australian Open quarter-finals without dropping a set.
A day after defending champion and top seed Angelique Kerber fell by the wayside, Williams overcame Barbora Strycova 7-5, 6-4 to set up a last-eight clash with Britain's Johanna Konta.
The American great would gain much from winning in Melbourne, as she would overtake Steffi Graf's Open-era record of 22 Grand Slam titles and end Kerber's short reign as world number one.
In hot conditions, she fought off the tenacious Strycova in two tight sets, following her sister Venus into the quarter-finals and staying on track for a possible all-Williams final.
"I have absolutely nothing to lose in this tournament," said Williams, 35. "Everything here is a bonus for me. Obviously I'm here to win. Hopefully I can play better, I can only go better."
Konta, the ninth seed, also reached the last eight with a perfect record in sets after a convincing 6-1, 6-4 victory over Russia's Ekaterina Makarova.
Nadal, searching for a revival after injuries wrecked last season, was tested by France's Gael Monfils before winning 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 to book a last-eight clash with Milos Raonic.
Nadal, 30, was also pushed to five sets by Alexander Zverev, 19, in round three, but he has survived to reach his first major quarter-final since the 2015 French Open.
The Spanish world number nine now has an excellent chance to add to his 14 Grand Slam titles after world number one Andy Murray and title-holder Novak Djokovic were both knocked out.
"I'm very happy being in the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam after a couple of years without being there," he said. "It's very special for me, especially here in Australia where I feel (it's) a little bit like home."
Mirjana Lucic-Baroni wrote another chapter in her fairytale career revival when she beat American qualifier Jennifer Brady 6-4, 6-2 to reach her first Grand Slam quarter-final in 18 years.
The former teen prodigy, now 34, won the 1998 Australian Open women's doubles with Martina Hingis but she fled her abusive father and suffered a series of injuries to put her career on hold.
Her joy was unbridled at beating Brady as she reached the last eight at a major for the first time since 1999, when she lost to Graf at Wimbledon aged 17.
"I hope no one is going to pinch me and wake me up because this is just incredible," said Lucic-Baroni, who screeched with joy and jumped up and down to celebrate the win.
Karolina Pliskova dashed home hopes when she thrashed Daria Gavrilova to move into an Australian Open quarter-final against comeback queen Mirjana Lucic-Baroni on Monday.
The fifth-seeded Czech shut out a partisan crowd on Rod Laver Arena to easily beat Australia's Gavrilova, nicknamed 'Dasha', 6-3, 6-3 and reach the last eight for the first time. It sets her up for a showdown against Lucic-Baroni, the feel-good story of the tournament who is into her first Grand Slam quarter-final since Wimbledon in 1999.
In the men's draw, David Goffin put away Austria's Dominic Thiem 5-7, 7-6 (7/4), 6-2, 6-2 to become the first Belgian man to reach the Australian quarter-finals.
Goffin will next play Grigor Dimitrov, who halted the fairytale run of Denis Istomin, the 117th-ranked Uzbek wildcard who shocked defending champion Novak Djokovic in round two.
Canadian third seed Raonic, still suffering from the effects of flu, beat Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (8/6), 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to earn his quarter-final against Nadal.
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