Stefanos Tsitsipas fought off an impressive fightback from Jannik Sinner before finally securing his Australian Open quarter-final spot on Sunday.
The third seed battled to a 6-4, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-3 triumph over Italian 15th seed Jannik Sinner on Rod Laver Arena in a match that lasted more than four hours.
Tsitsipas, who extended his win-streak to eight matches, took inspiration from the watching Rod Laver in the face a ferocious comeback from Sinner.
“I just stayed really calm, just like Mr Rod Laver used to do in his day,” said the Greek, who is now the highest remaining men's seed left in action at Melbourne Park.
“It was a long match, I felt like I spent an entire century on this court playing tennis.
“What a great night. That was superb, 'a ripper' as they say here. I'm really excited to be sharing moments like this on the court, especially in Australia.
“I'm trying to do my best out here, it's not easy. I had an unbelievable opponent on the other side of the court today.”
Tsitsipas, who is pursuing a first Grand Slam crown, will now face the unseeded Jiri Lehecka for a place in the semi-finals.
Czech world No 71 Lehecka defeated sixth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada in four sets in yet another surprise result, following the exits of top two Rafael Nadal and Casper Ruud.
“After losing in the first round last year, if someone had told me before the tournament that I would be playing like this, I wouldn't have believed them,” said Lehecka. “I'm super happy and excited.”
Giant-killer Sebastian Korda surged into a maiden Grand Slam quarter-final and faces 18th-seeded Karen Khachanov of Russia.
The 22-year-old American, who defeated Daniil Medvedev in the previous round, edged out 10th seed Hubert Hurkacz of Poland 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 1-6, 7-6.
Korda, whose father Petr won the 1998 Australian Open under the Czech flag, said: “Those are the toughest points to win … those last three there. They’re brutal in a way.”
The younger Korda has made it a point to reach out and tap signs marking the titles won by his dad and by mentor Andre Agassi in the hallway leading to the court in Rod Laver Arena.
“Every single time I walk by, I always give … a little fist bump,” Korda said. “Kind of makes me feel like they’re with me, in a way. I always know that they’re watching. They’re both very special for me. They helped me a ton.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larson, Samuel L Jackson, Jude Law, Ben Mendelsohn
4/5 stars
More on Quran memorisation:
More on animal trafficking
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
More on Quran memorisation:
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
PROFILE BOX
Company name: Overwrite.ai
Founder: Ayman Alashkar
Started: Established in 2020
Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai
Sector: PropTech
Initial investment: Self-funded by founder
Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors
The five pillars of Islam
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The line up
Friday: Giggs, Sho Madjozi and Masego
Saturday: Nas, Lion Bbae, Roxanne Shante and DaniLeigh
Sole DXB runs from December 6 to 8 at Dubai Design District. Weekend pass is Dh295 while a one day pass is Dh195. Tickets are available from www.soledxb.com
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The bio
Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.
Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.
Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.
Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.
The five pillars of Islam
More on animal trafficking
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Analysis
Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.
The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement.
We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
