World number one Rafael Nadal survived a brief scare against local teenager Bernard Tomic to reach the Australian Open last 16 Saturday, as women's favourite Kim Clijsters also battled through. Nadal, gunning to unite the four Grand Slam titles for the first time since 1969, was surprisingly broken twice by the confident Australian 18-year-old in the second set before recovering strongly to win 6-2, 7-5, 6-3.
Samantha Stosur outsted, Clijsters advances Nadal, ironically the last teen to beat a world number one at a major when he conquered Roger Federer at the 2005 French Open, stretched his Grand Slam streak to 23 matches after winning Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open last year. The 24-year-old Spaniard will next play Marin Cilic after the Croatian 15th seed defeated fellow five-set specialist John Isner 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/2), 9-7 in 4hr 33min.
Robin Soderling and Andy Murray, among the leading favourites to break Nadal and defending champion Federer's Grand Slam stranglehold, were on a collision course for the quarter-finals as both reached week two without dropping a set.
Murray, last year's beaten finalist and the fifth seed, dismissed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain 6-1, 6-1, 6-2, as he seeks Britain's first Grand Slam title in 75 years. He will face Jurgen Melzer in the next round. Soderling, backed by Swedish great Bjorn Borg, eyed his fourth successive Grand Slam quarter-final after cruising past Jan Hernych 6-3, 6-1, 6-4. He will play Ukraine's Alexandr Dolgopolov, who beat 2008 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Montenegro-born Raonic, who served a tournament-quickest 230 kilometres (143 miles) per hour screamer against Michael Llodra, will play David Ferrer after the Spanish baseliner knocked out 20-year-old Lithuanian Richard Berankis.
Austria's Melzer, the 11th seed, went through when 2006 finalist Marcos Baghdatis pulled out of their match with a finger injury while trailing in the fifth set. Earlier US Open champion Clijsters was made to work by France's Alize Cornet, who fought hard on her 21st birthday but could not prevent the Belgian winning 7-6 (7/3), 6-3.
US Open champion Clijsters has a chance to return to world number one, two years after her long break to have a baby, if she wins here and top seed Caroline Wozniacki falls before the semis. World number two Vera Zvonareva, who could also finish the tournament as world number one, survived a Lucie Safarova fightback to stay on course for her third successive Grand Slam final.
China's Peng Shuai beat Japan's Ayumi Morita to join compatriot Li Na in the fourth round, raising hopes they can match Li and Zheng Jie's run to last year's semis. Peng will now face Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska. But Czech player Petra Kvitova doused local hopes when she knocked out below-par French Open finalist Samantha Stosur, the fifth seed, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3. Collated results from day six of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park here Saturday (x denotes seeding):
Men's singles (3rd round): Robin Soderling (SWE x4) bt Jan Hernych (CZE) 6-3, 6-1, 6-4; Milos Raonic (CAN) bt Mikhail Youzhny (RUS x10) 6-4, 7-5, 4-6, 6-4; Andy Murray (GBR x5) bt Guillermo Garcia-Lopez (ESP x32) 6-1, 6-1, 6-2; Alexandr Dolgopolov (UKR) bt Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA x13) 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1, 6-1; David Ferrer (ESP x7) bt Richard Berankis (LTU) 6-2, 6-2, 6-1; Marin Cilic (CRO x15) bt John Isner (USA x20) 4-6, 6-2, 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/2), 9-7; Jurgen Melzer (AUT x11) bt Marcos Baghdatis (CYP x21) 6-7 (5/7), 6-2, 6-1, 4-3 (ret); Rafael Nadal (ESP x1) bt Bernard Tomic (AUS) 6-2, 7-5, 6-3
Women's singles (3rd round): Agnieszka Radwanska (POL x12) bt Simona Halep (ROM) 6-1, 6-2; Vera Zvonareva (RUS x2) bt Lucie Safarova (CZE x31) 6-3, 7-6 (11/9); Iveta Benesova (CZE) bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x16) 6-3, 1-6, 7-5; Peng Shuai (CHI) bt Ayumi Morita (JPN) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3; Kim Clijsters (BEL x3) bt Alize Cornet (FRA) 7-6 (7/3), 6-3; Flavia Pennetta (ITA x22) bt Shahar Peer (ISR) 3-6, 7-6 (7/3), 6-4; Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) bt Nadia Petrova (RUS x13) 6-2, 3-6, 8-6; Petra Kvitova (CZE x25) bt Samantha Stosur (AUS x) 7-6 (7/5), 6-3.