There’s history on the line in two blockbuster quarterfinal singles clashes on Rod Laver Arena tonight.
Two-time Australian Open winner and former world No. 1 Victorian Azarenka is off to a flyer against third seed American Jessica Pegula.
Azarenka has raced out to a 3-0 lead after breaking Pegula’s first service game.
Watch Tennis Live with beIN SPORTS on Kayo. Live Coverage of ATP + WTA Tour Tournaments including Every Finals Match. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Pegula, 28, has made the quarters in Melbourne for the past three years and in 2022 also reached the final eight at the French Open and US Open – but she’s never made a semi.
Azarenka, 33, on the other hand has proven herself in the second week of majors for over a decade but is the 24 seed this year.
The pair have split their previous four meetings evenly, with Pegula winning their last clash at the 2022 Guadalajara Open in straight sets.
In the second match, Greek superstar Stefan Tsitsipas faces unseeded Czech young gun Jiri Lehecka who before this tournament had never won a match at a grand slam.
Lehecka has knocked off 11th seed Cameron Norrie and 6th seed Felix Auger Aliassime en route to the quarters.
The 21-year-old is looking to cause another major boilover and stop Tsitsipas from making his fourth Australian Open semi-final in five years.
Tsitsipas beat Lehecka 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in their only previous meeting, last year in the semifinals of last year’s Rotterdam Open.
Kyrgios offers knee surgery update | 00:34
AUSTRALIAN OPEN DAY 9 – ORDER OF PLAY (All times AEDT)
Quarter-finals
Rod Laver Arena
Night session from 7pm
[3] Jessica Pegula (USA) v [24] Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
[3] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) v Jiri Lehecka (CZE)
Follow the Australian Open in the live blog below!
