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Australian Open overnight: Barty, Nadal inch closer to history on Day 7

Anadolu Agency / Getty

The first Grand Slam of 2022 is underway. Each morning, we'll review the action you may have missed Down Under. Here's what happened overnight on Day 7 of the Australian Open.

Top story: No stopping Barty right now

Top-ranked Ash Barty has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals with a 6-4, 6-3 win over 20-year-old Amanda Anisimova.

Barty is aiming to be the first Australian woman to win her home Grand Slam title since 1978 and has gone through the first four rounds without dropping a set. She's into the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the fourth straight year.

Anisimova was coming off a third-round upset over defending champion Naomi Osaka, when she saved two match points.

She broke Barty’s opening service game of the second set — a first for the tournament — but the two-time major winner responded by breaking back and taking six of the last seven games.

Barty beat Anisimova in the semifinals of the French Open in 2019 on the way to winning her first Grand Slam title.

Asked if it’s a good omen, Barty said “Let’s wait and see.”

Barty will next play No. 21-seeded Jessica Pegula, who beat fifth-seeded Maria Sakkari 7-6 (0), 6-3.

Nadal three wins away from No. 21

Rafael Nadal is into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the 14th time after beating Adrian Mannarino in straight sets following a long opening tiebreaker.

Nadal needed seven set points before finishing off the 28-minute, 40-second tiebreaker on the way to his 7-6 (14), 6-2, 6-2 fourth-round victory.

It extended his streak to 21 straight wins against fellow left-handers.

Nadal moved to equal-second with John Newcombe on the all-time list for most quarterfinals in Australia. Roger Federer tops that list with 15. It's also his 45th time into the last eight at a Grand Slam tournament, which is third on the all-time list behind Federer (58) and Novak Djokovic (51).

Nadal is now potentially three victories away from a men’s record 21st Grand Slam singles title.

'Smart' tennis leads Shapo to upset win

Mackenzie Sweetnam / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Denis Shapovalov has upset third-seeded Alexander Zverev to move into an Australian Open quarterfinal match against Rafael Nadal.

The No. 14-seeded Shapovalov is into the quarterfinals in Australia for the first time.

The 22-year-old Canadian finished off a 6-3, 7-6 (5), 6-3 win over Olympic gold medalist Zverev on Margaret Court Arena less than an hour after Nadal secured his spot in the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 14th time.

Shapovalov spent almost 11 hours on court through the first three rounds, winning twice in four sets and once in five, and was surprised by the relative speed of his 2-hour, 21-minute win over Zverev.

“Probably the one I least expected to finish in three,” he said. “Definitely happy with where the game is at. I played pretty smart today.”

Krejcikova, Keys eye spot in semifinals

French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova has reached the Australian Open quarterfinals with a 6-2, 6-2 win over two-time champion Victoria Azarenka in their fourth round match on Rod Laver Arena.

The fourth-seeded Krejcikova needed only 85 minutes to beat the 2012 and 2013 champion and progress to her third quarterfinal in four Grand Slams events.

She will next play 2017 U.S. Open runner-up Madison Keys, who had 6-3, 6-1 victory over eighth-seeded Paula Badosa.

Azarenka, seeded 24th, made 28 unforced errors and dropped five service games.

Krejcikova broke Azarenka's serve in the third game and again in the seventh to take control of the first set.

She broke again the opening game of the second set and then was rarely troubled in closing out as temperatures approached 34 Celsius (93 degrees Fahrenheit).

Keys beat Badosa 6-3, 6-1 in the first match of Day 7 on Rod Laver Arena.

Berrettini bolstering his resume

Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini completed a Grand Slam set by advancing to the Australian Open quarterfinals with a 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-4 win over 19th-seeded Pablo Carreno Busta in the last match on Day 7.

The seventh-seeded Berrettini has now reached the quarterfinals at all four of the tennis majors.

He hit 28 aces and 57 winners against Carreno Busta and will next play No. 17 Gael Monfils, who beat Miomir Kecmanovic 7-5, 7-6 (4), 6-3 to make it to the last eight for the second time in 17 trips to Melbourne Park.

Berrettini beat Monfils in five sets in the 2019 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

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