Australian Open Highlights
The Australian Open, which began on Jan. 16, has been full of ups and downs for contestants. Well-known players Serena Williams lost in the fourth round, while Maria Sharapova has advanced to the women's quarterfinals.
Williams lost in the fourth round to Russia's Ekaterina Makarova and stated, "I'm not physically 100 percent, so I can't be angry at myself, even though I'm very unhappy. I know that I can play a hundred times better than I did this whole tournament."
Maria Sharapova of Russia advanced in her match against Germany's Sabine Lisicki. Sharapova told reporters, "A lot of ups and downs today-fortunately I finished on a high note. Even though I didn't play my best tennis, I fought to the end and sometimes that's what gets you through." She will face Ekaterina Makarova in the quarterfinal.
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For her part, Makarova expressed disbelief and joy at her win over Williams: "Yeah, I'm surprised because she's a great player and it's really tough to play against her. But, I don't know, I am just feeling so good and so focused. So I played my game, and that's it. I won against Serena. That's amazing."
Today's matches include Kim Clijsters of Belarus, currently ranked number 11, against number-one-ranked Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark. The men's quarterfinals also begin today, with Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina playing against Roger Federer of Switzerland. Sports commentators, though, are keeping an eye on up-and-coming David Ferrer of Spain, who will also be playing in the quarterfinals.
Ferrer, currently ranked fifth in the tournament surprised everyone with his win over France's Richard Gasquet; he told reporters, "I play very good on hard courts, I'm very comfortable on hard courts. I am very happy; I think I played a correct style. I played well today." Experts are predicting that Ferrer could play Roger Federer, who is ranked first overall, in the final of the Open. If that happens, Ferrer has stated, "I'll have to be very aggressive and very much better than normal to have a chance in the match."
Watch a clip of Williams' game here:
