United States' Serena Williams gestures as she is interviewed following her third round win over Russia's Anastasia Potapova at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Friday, Feb. 12
A quick look at the Australian Open:
LOOKAHEAD TO SUNDAY
Serena Williams continues her quest for a record-tying 24th Grand Slam singles title when she plays No. 7 seed Aryna Sabalenka in the fourth round. Williams’ last Grand Slam singles title came at the 2017 Australian Open, her seventh championship at Melbourne Park. She's hardly the only woman with major trophies at home who will be in action on Sunday. Garbiñe Muguruza, winner of the French Open in 2016 and Wimbledon in 2017, faces Naomi Osaka, whose three Slam titles include the 2019 Australian Open. Reigning French Open champion Iga Swiatek meets two-time major champ Simona Halep. In men's play, eight-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic is scheduled to play Milos Raonic at night, but Djokovic injured a side muscle in his five-set win over American Taylor Fritz on Friday. U.S. Open champion Dominic Thiem will take on Grigor Dimitrov, while 20-year-old Felix Auger-Aliassime goes up against Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev, who is making his Grand Slam singles debut. Alexander Zverev, who lost to Thiem in last year's U.S. Open final, plays Dusan Lajovic, to complete the fourth-round matches in the top half of the men’s draw.
SUNDAY'S FORECAST
Mostly sunny, high of 21 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit)
SATUDAY'S WEATHER
Mostly sunny, high of 21 Celsius (68 Fahrenheit).
SATURDAY'S KEY RESULTS
Women’s Third Round: No. 5 Elina Svitolina beat No. 26 Yulia Putintseva 6-4, 6-0; No. 18 Elise Mertens beat No. 11 Belinda Bencic 6-2, 6-1; No. 22 Jennifer Brady beat Kaja Juvan 6-1, 6-3; No. 25 Karolina Muchova beat No. 6 Karolina Pliskova 7-5. 7-5; No. 28 Donna Vekic beat Kaia Kanepi 5-7, 7-6 (2), 6-4; Jessica Pegula beat Kristina Mladenovic 6-2, 6-1.
Men’s Third Round: No. 4 Daniil Medvedev beat No. 28 Filip Krajinovic 6-3, 6-3, 4-6, 3-6, 6-0; No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas beat Mikael Ymer 6-4, 6-1, 6-1; No. 7 Andrey Rublev beat Feliciano Lopez 7-5, 6-2, 6-3; No. 24 Casper Ruud beat Radu Albot 6-1, 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Mackenzie McDonald beat Lloyd Harris 7-6 (7), 6-1, 6-4.
STAT OF THE DAY
17 — Consecutive matches won by Medvedev.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“It was, for sure, a bit disturbing, I would say. In some ways, sad." — Svitolina on playing without spectators because of a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne.
