Event of the Day: Day 10 of the Australian Open
Our event of the day is Day 10 of the Australian Open, with the quarterfinals of the competition continuing today. Serena Williams will face Karolína Plíšková while Naomi Osaka is set to play Elina Svitolina. Wins for Williams and Osaka would set up a rematch of the 2018 US Open final. In the men’s tournament, Novak Djokovic will play Kei Nishikori while Milos Raonic and Lucas Pouille face off for the other semi-final spot. Be sure you don’t miss this exciting day of tennis. Yesterday saw the start of the quarterfinals and provided plenty of memorable tennis. Two-time NCAA champion Danielle Collins continued to make waves in her young professional career as she progressed to the semifinals after a three-set victory over fellow unseeded upstart Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Collins had overcome three seeded players, including the second seed Angelique Kerber, to reach yesterday’s match. Pavlyuchenkova, ranked 44th in the world, had overcome two top-10 seeds to reach her fifth Grand Slam quarter-final. In the other women’s quarter-final, eighth seed Petra Kvitová faced off against fifteenth seed Ashleigh Barty. Kvitová has breezed through the competition so far, facing no seeded opponents and not dropping a set through her first three matches. The biggest obstacle for Barty was her fourth round match, which saw her face the thirtieth seed Maria Sharapova. Sharapova was coming off a win against Carolina Wozniacki, the defending champion, but Barty won in three sets and moved onto her first Grand Slam quarter-final. However, she was outplayed by the two-time Wimbledon champion and Kvitová progressed to her first Australian Open semi-final since 2012.
In the men’s tournament, fourteenth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas made his first Grand Slam semi-final with a four set victory over Roberto Bautista Agut. Tsitsipas has played a fantastic tournament, notably recording a four-set victory against defending champion Roger Federer. Agut had also played well, ending Andy Murray’s tournament in the first round before overcoming two top-10 seeds to reach the quarterfinals. In the day’s other game, Rafael Nadal beat Frances Tiafoe. Tiafoe is a young player who had overcome two top-20 seeds to reach the quarterfinals. However he was no match for the world number 2, who won in straight sets. It has been a particularly exciting tournament so far and with the matches scheduled for today, it does not look like the excitement is set to end any time soon.
Honourable mentions around the globe go to the Caraboa Cup, where Burton Albion host Manchester City in the second leg of their semi-final fixture. Burton, a League One side, deserves plenty of credit for reaching the semi-finals of the competition. However, they welcome the defending Premier League champions to Pirelli Stadium with a mountain to climb. Manchester City currently hold a 9-0 aggregate after the first leg and are confident of an appearance in the final against Chelsea or Tottenham Hotspur. Elsewhere, the first Test between the West Indies and England begins at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. This is the first international cricket of 2019 for either side, who will be eager to put in strong performances prior to a big year in cricket with a Cricket World Cup and a home Ashes series for England. The two sides have not met since a West Indian tour of England in 2017, a series that was won by England. With two sides that share a strong cricketing history, be sure you don't miss today’s action. In the NBA, the Philadelphia 76ers host the San Antonio Spurs at the Wells Fargo Center. In the NHL, the Colorado Avalanche host the Minnesota Wild at the Pepsi Center.
Whatever you’re watching, enjoy!
Photos by Australian Open