A round-up of match reports and results from Day 6 of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park
World No 2 Andy Murray beat Joao Sousa in four sets to reach the fourth round, apparently unaware of a medical drama involving his father-in-law on the adjacent court.
The four-time finalist wore down the 33rd-ranked Sousa to win 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 in two hours, 38 minutes, while Nigel Sears, father of his heavily pregnant wife, Kim, needed emergency medical treatment.
Sears, 58, who is also the coach of Ana Ivanovic, was treated by medics on a stairway and Ivanovic’s match with Madison Keys on Rod Laver Arena was suspended for almost an hour before resuming.
Sears was later stretchered away and taken by ambulance to hospital and was said to be in a conscious state.
Murray will play the winner of the all-Australian clash between Bernard Tomic and John Millman in the fourth round.
The Scot left the Margaret Court Arena without doing the usual post-match on-court interview and it was announced he would not be doing a press conference.
Witnesses said he was met by his mother Judy upon leaving the court.
Murray broke Sousa twice to take the opening set, but lost his first set of the tournament as news filtered through of the ongoing drama in the stadium next door.
The world number two asserted command in the third set with two more breaks and then made crucial breaks in the fifth and seventh games to dominate the final set.
Murray won through to the round of 16 in Melbourne for the eighth straight year with the win stretching his record over Sousa to 7-0.
Wawrinka waltzes past Rosol
Stan Wawrinka, the No 4 seed, breezed into the fourth round of the Australian Open with a 6-2 6-3 7-6(3) victory over Lukas Rosol.
The victory was the 2014 Australian Open champion’s 400th on the ATP Tour and came a day after fellow Swiss Roger Federer recorded his 300th win at grand slams and Maria Sharapova her 600th WTA Tour-level win.
Wawrinka, 30, had spent just over 3 1/2 hours on court in his first two matches at Melbourne Park, but needed 115 minutes to dispatch his fellow 30-year-old, though he was rarely stretched with few rallies extending beyond four shots.
The French Open champion should be tested a little further in the fourth round when he meets Canada’s 13th-seed Milos Raonic, who beat Serbia’s Victor Troicki 6-2 6-3 6-4.
Mourning Milos through to last-16
Milos Raonic, with the trauma of the Canadian high school shooting weighing heavily on his mind, produced a fighting win over Viktor Troicki to reach the fourth round.
The Canadian power server, seeded 13, fought back from an early break in the final set before clinching a 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 win over the 21st-seeded Serb in one hour, 46 minutes on Margaret Court Arena.
Afterwards, Raonic was close to tears as he dedicated the win to the remote Saskatchewan community where four people were killed in a school shooting on Friday.
“I want to take a moment and give thoughts to that community, the families, the students and the school affected and we wish you all the best,” he told the crowd.
“Today’s victory was for that community and a quick recovery. All of Canada, and I’m sure the world, is behind you.”
‘Bad day at the office’ for Muguruza
Garbine Muguruza said she had a “very bad day at the office” after failing to live up to her billing as third seed in a shock loss to Barbora Strycova.
The Spanish world No 3, a Wimbledon finalist last year, became the latest top-10 player to crash out of the season-opening grand slam with her error-strewn game exposed 6-3, 6-2 by the Czech veteran, who reached the fourth round for the first time in nine attempts.
It was a remarkable upset by Strycova, who had only gone beyond the third round once in 38 previous Grand Slam appearances — at Wimbledon in 2014, where she made the quarter-finals.
“Clearly not my best, for sure. I think today is a very bad day at the office,” said 22-year-old Muguruza.
“I think Barbora played good, very good. Also, I didn’t play good. But, I don’t know, I think I just couldn’t find the court, my shots. I didn’t really find my game.”
Azarenka in red hot form
Two-time champion Victoria Azarenka swept past up-and-coming Japanese player Naomi Osaka to set up a fourth-round showdown with Barbora Strycova.
The former world No 2 was in ominous touch as she thrashed the teenage qualifier 6-1, 6-1 in 56 minutes on Rod Laver Arena to make it eighth consecutive last-16 appearances at Melbourne Park.
It opens up a path to the quarter-finals for the Belarusian, with Spanish third seed Garbine Muguruza no longer in her way after she was shocked by the Czech veteran Strycova in straight sets.
Azarenka, 27, has been in top early-season form, winning the Brisbane International and racing through her opening three matches in Melbourne for the loss of just five games.
After a torrid two years battling injuries, the 14th seed is back on a roll and is a clear threat to world No 1 and defending champion Serena Williams, who she could meet in the final.
“It wasn’t easy, especially against someone I had not played before. There was a lot of adaptation in the beginning,” she said. “I’m glad I stayed focused.
“I just feel happy and want to give everything I have in the court. Every day I’m living the dream.”
Kerber sets up all-German clash
World No 7 Angelique Kerber turned on the style to crush Madison Brengle and set up an all-German fourth round clash with Annika Beck.
Kerber, who survived a match point scare in the opening round, was on fire against the American, ranked 49, rattling through the match on Margaret Court Arena 6-1, 6-3 in under an hour.
It sets her up for a showdown against Beck, ensuring at least one German in the quarter-finals of the opening grand slam of the year. Beck beat another German, Laura Siegemund, 6-0, 6-4.
“It’s great to have an all-German match. It means one will be in the next round,” said Kerber, who is looking to reach the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park for the first time.
She was too clinical for the unseeded Brengle, who had failed to beat Kerber, who won four tournaments last year, on three previous occasions.
“Madison is a tough opponent, we have had three battles before,” said Kerber, who turned 28 on Monday.
“I’m very happy with my performance. I had good rhythm from the first point and feel I’m getting better and better each match.”
Konta’s dream run goes on
Johanna Konta eased past Denisa Allertova 6-2, 6-2 to become the first British woman to reach the fourth round in 29 years.
The 24-year-old, who stunned eighth seed Venus Williams in the first round, also equalled her best Grand Slam performance set at the US Open in September.
“She’s an incredibly tough opponent,” Konta said of the 66th-ranked Czech. “I knew I had to run down every ball and fight every point, so I managed to do that but it wasn’t easy.”
Konta, who equals Jo Durie’s performance at the 1987 Australian Open, will now play Russian 21st seed Ekaterina Makarova for a place in the quarter-finals.
“I’m feeling pretty good -- it’s amazing what adrenalin does,” said Konta, the world No 47.
DAY 6 RESULTS
Men’s singles
3rd round
Andrey Kuznetsov (RUS) bt Dudi Sela (ISR) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/4)
Gael Monfils (FRA x23) bt Stephane Robert (FRA) 7-5, 6-3, 6-2
Milos Raonic (CAN x13) bt Viktor Troicki (SRB x21) 6-2, 6-3, 6-4
Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI x4) bt Lukas Rosol (CZE) 6-2, 6-3, 7-6 (7/3)
David Ferrer (ESP x8) bt Steve Johnson (USA x31) 6-1, 6-4, 6-4
John Isner (USA x10) bt Feliciano Lopez (ESP x18) 6-7 (8/10), 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 6-4
Andy Murray (GBR) bt Joao Sousa (POR) 6-2, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2
Women’s singles
3rd round
Angelique Kerber (GER x7) bt Madison Brengle (USA) 6-1, 6-3
Annika Beck (GER) bt Laura Siegemund (GER) 6-0, 6-4
Victoria Azarenka (BLR x14) bt Naomi Osaka (JPN) 6-1, 6-1
Barbora Strycova (CZE) bt Garbine Muguruza (ESP x3) 6-3, 6-2
Johanna Konta (GBR) bt Denisa Allertova (CZE) 6-2, 6-2
Ekaterina Makarova (RUS x21) bt Karolina Pliskova (CZE x9) 6-3, 6-2
Madison Keys (USA x15) bt Ana Ivanovic (SRB x20) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4