Switzerland’s Stan Wawrinka reacts during his fourth round singles match against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open tennis championship in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Andy Brownbill)
MELBOURNE, Australia — As the fourth-set tiebreaker ended, Stan Wawrinka tapped his right temple with his index finger, his signature celebration. He probably figured he had his Australian Open opponent right where he wanted him.
Heading to a fifth set.
Wawrinka came back to beat U.S. Open runner-up Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 2-6, 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-2 Monday to reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park, where he won the 2014 championship.
This was Wawrinka’s 51st career five-setter, which is tied for the sixth-most on record in men’s tennis history, and his 29th such victory. The No. 4-seeded Medvedev, meanwhile? He is now 0-6 when going the distance.
Consider this a win for age and experience.
Wawrinka is 34, Medvedev 23. Wawrinka owns three Grand Slam titles in all and now is on his way to his 18th major quarterfinal. Medvedev’s lone run to that stage at a Slam came at Flushing Meadows last September, before he ended up losing in the final against Rafael Nadal in — yep, you guessed it — five sets.
This one hinged on the conclusion of the fourth set, when Wawrinka came through by taking the last three points of the tiebreaker.
Medvedev began to wilt right then, part of a portion of the match when he ceded 12 of 13 points.
That stretch included a break in the final set’s initial game when Medvedev sent a forehand long.
The 15th-seeded Wawrinka will meet No. 7 Alexander Zverev or No. 17 Andrey Rublev next. They were to play their fourth-round match Monday night.
The other quarterfinal on this half of the bracket will be two-time French Open runner-up Dominic Thiem against the winner of Monday’s highly anticipated showdown between No. 1 Rafael Nadal and No. 23 Nick Kyrgios.
The men’s quarterfinals Tuesday will be defending champion Novak Djokovic against No. 32 Milos Raonic of Canada, and Roger Federer against 100th-ranked Tennys Sandgren of the United States.
After beating No. 10 Gael Monfils 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 Monday — “Easy to say that it was by far the best” performance he’s had in the tournament — Thiem said he planned to kick back and watch Nadal vs. Kyrgios on TV.
For scouting purposes, sure, but also for its expected entertainment value.
After losing a second consecutive final at Roland Garros to Nadal in June, Thiem didn’t win another match at a Grand Slam tournament in 2019, losing first-rounders at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. But now he’s into his first quarterfinal at Melbourne Park.
There was an Australian Open debut quarterfinalist on the women’s side, too: No. 28 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia rallied from a set and a break down to beat 18-year-old Iga Swiatek of Poland 6-7 (4), 7-5, 7-5, despite being broken twice while serving for the match.
“Absolutely delighted that she found a way to get through. I mean, it wasn’t the easiest to watch,” said Kontaveit’s coach, Nigel Sears. “A bit of an emotional roller-coaster. Certainly put me through the ringer today.”
Kontaveit, who had been 0-3 in the fourth round at majors, next plays two-time major champion and 2018 Australian Open runner-up Simona Halep.
“Mentally,” Halep said after her 6-4, 6-4 win over Elise Mertens, “I think I did a great job today.”
Another two-time Grand Slam title winner advanced to the quarterfinals when Garbiñe Muguruza eliminated No. 9 seed Kiki Bertens 6-3, 6-3.
Muguruza won the 2016 French Open and 2017 Wimbledon. She is unseeded at a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since the 2014 French Open.
Now she’ll face either Angelique Kerber — the only past champion in Melbourne remaining the women’s field — or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova.