Wawrinka downs Roddick: next comes Federer (update)

International sports, Australian Open tennis

Longest women’s match on record won by 30-year-old Schiavone

Sydney, Australia (GenevaLunch) - Canton Vaud’s Stanislas Wawrinka beat Andy Roddick in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open. In the semi-finals he will meet Roger Federer, who came past Tommy Robredo 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2.

It is the first time two Swiss men have reached the quarters of a Grand Slam.

Wawrinka played a masterful match against the big serving American, dominating the rallies with his backhand and hitting more aces. In the top half of the draw, Rafa Nadal and Andy Murray are looking in ominous form. Murray and Novak Djokovic easily beat their opponents but 4th seed Robin Soderling lost to Ukrainian Alexander Dolgopolov in five sets.

In the women’s draw, Maria Sharapova was knocked out by German Andrea Petkovic. The best match was won by Italy’s Francesca Schiavone who beat Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-4, 1-6, 16-14. The match ended after 4 hours, 44 minutes, setting a record as the longest women’s Grand Slam match in the Open era, notes the Canadian Press news agency.

Schiavone is 30 years old, but playing better than she did in her younger years. The Sunday match was 14 minutes longer than the previous record, set in 2010, also in Sydney, when Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova beat Regina Kulikova.

She will meet top seed Caroline Wozniacki in the quarters.

Links to other sites: Australian Open, Swissinfo