• Sharapova loses only five games in four rounds
• Federer has 250th grand slam win against Bernard Tomic
Of the stars still in Melbourne, Roger Federer and Maria Sharapova are shining brightest. The Russian has barely needed to change outfits in giving up only five games in four matches, although Agnieszka Radwanska, unbeaten in 13 matches this year and with two titles to her name, is playing at her absolute peak, which is rarefied territory.
Both moved smoothly into the quarter-finals, the Russian easing past the unseeded Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, the Pole defeating the No13 seed, Ana Ivanovic, in a match of higher quality. Sharapova, seeded No2, meets her compatriot Ekaterina Makarova on Wednesday and Radwanska has to get past Li Na, who is also in superb form.
With Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams in the top half of the draw, the expectation is that Sharapova will cruise through to Saturday's final but she does not see it that way.
"It's not about waiting to see where you are in the semis or finals, it's about who is ahead of you. My next match is against Makarova and I have to do the right things to beat her.
"If I win that, it's about moving on to the next one. That's how I go about a tournament, a grand slam. Obviously I want to be playing my best tennis towards the end of the second week."
Makarova's love affair with Melbourne continued as she made it through with an impressive defeat of the No5 seed, Angelique Kerber. The 24-year-old equalled her best run at a major by downing the German 7-5, 6-4. "It's an unbelievable feeling, I really like playing here," the Russian said. "I lost three times to Angelique last year – she is so good so I am very happy."
Makarova also got her wish of a rematch with Sharapova, having lost last year's quarter-final 6-2, 6-3. "Last year I was surprised to reach that stage and I had so many thoughts in my mind," she said. "This year I will be ready to play a good game."
It is Federer, though, who has everyone talking. He is in his element here, where he has won four titles, and is a 31-year-old dream-slayer whose tennis is proving irresistible. He played close to his ageless best in putting down the Australian Bernard Tomic in straight sets on Saturday and is likely to be similarly ruthless against the other hope for the future, Milos Raonic, at his second home, the Rod Laver Arena, in the final match on Monday – probably starting about 11am UK time.
Federer is the ultimate history man. It seems every time he steps on court, another record tumbles. Saturday's win was his 250th in a grand slam tournament and it arrived 13 years after his first, which was against Michael Chang here. He is reaching now for a 35th consecutive appearance in a grand slam quarter-final, and it puts the feat in all its glorious context when you consider the last time he failed to reach the final eight of a major tournament was at Roland Garros in 2004, when he lost to Gustavo Kuerten in the third round.
Looking further ahead (as he says he never does), if Federer goes on to win a fifth Australian title, he will be one behind Roy Emerson – and you can be sure he will want to equal him as well. If he wins on Sunday, he would return to world No1 if Novak Djokovic loses to Tomas Berdych in his quarter-final on Wednesday.
Raonic has the incentive of a place in the record books as well: were the 22-year-old to beat Federer, he would become Canada's first representative in a grand slam quarter-final since the start of the Open era in 1968.
Reported by guardian.co.uk 5 hours ago.
Patch East Providence, RI --
A new romance certainly does not appear to be getting in the way of Maria Sharapova, who is into the last eight of the Australian Open for the loss of just five games.
Reported by MailOnline India 2 hours ago.
Serena Williams was in fine fettle as she beat Maria Kirilenko 6-2, 6-0 to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals. The American will face her compatriot Sloane Stephens.
Reported by MailOnline India 1 day ago.
