MELBOURNE, Jan 22: Ice-cool Roger Federer roared into an Australian Open quarterfinal with Tomas Berdych today as former champion Angelique Kerber stuttered into an enticing clash with Madison Keys.
The defending champion swatted aside one-time training partner Marton Fucsovics 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 6-2 to make the last eight for an incredible 14th time.
The Swiss maestro, 36, has made at least the last eight every year since 2004, bar a hiccup in 2015.
Second seed Federer will now play fellow veteran Berdych, a semifinalist in 2014 and 2015 at his most successful major, who demolished Italy�s Fabio Fognini 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
The 32-year-old, who is on his way back from back problems, lost to the five-time Australian champion in the third round last year and the odds are heavily stacked against him.
Of the 13 quarterfinals Federer has contested in Melbourne, he has won the lot.
Germany�s Kerber is the only Grand Slam champion left among the women, and she was given a big fright as she chases her second Melbourne Park crown after beating Serena Williams in 2016.
After crushing Maria Sharapova in the last round, she came up against gritty Taiwanese veteran Hsieh Su-wei who stunned the 21st seed by taking the first set on Rod Laver Arena.
At one point Kerber was serving to stay in the match, but she bounced back to win 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
Hsieh, ranked 88, was always going to be a threat after knocking out world number three Garbine Muguruza and the dangerous Agnieszka Radwanska en route to the fourth round.
The win set Kerber up with a clash against American Keys, a semifinalist in 2015 who has found a new lease of life under the guidance of former great Lindsay Davenport.
Seeded 17, she flattened French eighth seed Caroline Garcia 6-3, 6-2 in just 68 impressive minutes.
Whoever wins that match will have a potential semifinal against world number one Simona Halep, who defeated Japan�s Naomi Osaka 6-3, 6-2.
South Korean star Chung Hyeon dumped six-time champion Novak Djokovic out today in a sensational fourth round upset.
The 21-year-old beat the battle-weary Serb, who was clearly in pain as he stretched for balls, 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 7-6 (7/3) in 3hr 21 min in a night match on Rod Laver Arena.
Chung, the first South Korean man to reach the round of 16 at the Australian Open, will face American bolter Tennys Sandgren in the quarterfinals on Wednesday. � Agencies
