Four of the top seven seeds in the men’s draw will be in action against each other as the Australian Open quarterfinals continue on Wednesday.
No. 2 seed Rafael Nadal will take on No. 5 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, while No. 4 Daniil Medvedev faces off against countryman and No. 7 seed Andrey Rublev.
Nadal Sees Improvement in Back, Play
Nadal had little trouble advancing to the Australian Open quarterfinals for the 13th time in his illustrious career. He overwhelmed Fabio Fognini on Monday in the fourth round, putting away the Italian 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.
Nadal continues to recover from a back strain that bothered him in recent weeks, something he says should help him against Tsitsipas.
“I was able to win four matches already, so now I’m going to have a very tough opponent and need to play my best,†Nadal said after beating Fognini. “I’m excited. If we compare how I was five days ago and now, it’s different, my perspective and excitement is different too.â€
Tsitsipas didn’t even have to play to get through the fourth round. Matteo Berrettini withdrew hours before their match due to an abdominal strain, handing Tsitsipas a walkover.
“I had a problem with my abs, and I spoke to the doctors and they said it can get worse,†Berrettini told reporters. “Obviously, I’m not 100% … I decided not to play because it’s not worth the risk on this big stage.â€
That sets up an encounter between the legendary Nadal and Tsitsipas, one of the most promising young stars on tour. PointsBet rates Nadal as a -200 favorite over Tsitsipas (+160). Nadal has won six of the last seven meetings between the two, including beating Tsitsipas in the 2019 Australian Open semifinals.
In the other men’s quarterfinal on Wednesday, Medvedev (-240) comes in as a favorite over Rublev (+185). The winner will join qualifier Aslan Karatsev to become the second Russian in the semifinals, leaving open the possibility of an all-Russian Australian Open final.
Barty Makes Third Straight Australian Open Quarterfinal
On the women’s side of the draw, No. 1 seed Ashleigh Barty faces off against No. 25 Karolina Muchova in the first match of the Wednesday schedule. Barty defeated Shelby Rogers 6-3, 6-4 on Monday to reach the Australian Open quarterfinals for the third straight year.
| Australian Open Quarterfinals Odds (via PointsBet) | |
| No. 1 Ashleigh Barty: -475 | No. 25 Karolina Muchova: +340 |
| No. 22 Jennifer Brady: -230 | Jessica Pegula: +180 |
| No. 7 Andrey Rublev: +185 | No. 4 Daniil Medvedev: -240 |
| No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas: +160 | No. 2 Rafael Nadal: -200 |
“Obviously it’s exciting to be in another quarterfinal of a Grand Slam, particularly here in Australia,†Barty said after the win. “If we had looked at the way we were preparing during our preseason, to have the start that we have had so far is really encouraging, but certainly not satisfied with where we are at the moment. We will keep chipping away and keep trying to do the right things to progress as far as we can.â€
Barty comes into the quarterfinals as a -475 favorite over Muchova. In the other women’s quarterfinal, No. 22 seed Jennifer Brady (-230) will take on Jessica Pegula (+180) in an all-American battle.