Federer, Williams Sisters, Djokovic reach Australian Open 4th round

Saturday, January 23, 2010
MELBOURNE: World number one Roger Federer, Williams Sisters and Novak Djokovic qualified for the fourth round at the Australian Open tennis tournament here on Saturday.

Serena Williams of America completed a 6-0, 6-3 demolition of Carla Suarez Navarro of Spain and her sister Venus beat Australian Casey Dellacqua 6-1, 7-6 (7/4).

Federer, the Swiss great, made short work of Spanish 31st Albert Montanes 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 as the fourth round of the opening Grand Slam of the season was finalised.

Also staying on track was men's third seed Novak Djokovic, sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko, ninth seed Fernando Verdasco and local hope Lleyton Hewitt.

Joining Williams Sisters in the women's draw were fourth seed Caroline Wozniacki, seventh seed Victoria Azarenka, ninth seeded Vera Zvonareva and 13th seeded Samantha Stosur.

Federer, with 15 Grand Slam titles, now faces a round of 16 clash against Hewitt, who was in good touch against Marcos Baghdatis before the Cypriot retired with a shoulder injury while trailing 6-0, 4-2.

Serena will next take on the imposing Stosur while Venus set up a fourth round clash with Italian 17th seed Francesca Schiavone

Stosur, the Australian 13th seed, outclassed Italy's Alberta Brianti 6-4, 6-1 and is gunning for another crack at Williams, who she beat when they last met in Stanford in July.

Also pushing through were Azarenka, who destroyed Italy's Tathiana Garbin 6-0, 6-2, and Zvonareva, a 6-1, 7-5 winner over Argentine Gisela Dulko.

They will play each other for a place in the quarters.

Chinese hope Li Na also stayed in the tournament with a three-set win over off-court friend Daniela Hantuchova and will next battle Denmark's Wozniacki, who shattered the dreams of Israel's Shahar Peer in straight sets.

Like Federer, Serbian third seed Djokovic, the 2008 champion, was also in imposing form as he crushed Uzbekistan's Denis Istomin 6-1, 6-1, 6-2.

He will next play unseeded Pole Lukasz Kubot, who was handed a free ride when Russian 20th seed Mikhail Youzhny withdrew with a wrist injury.

Russian sixth seed Davydenko stayed on the boil with a 6-0, 6-3, 6-4 hammering of Argentina's Juan Monaco and now faces a tough match against ninth seeded Fernando Verdasco.

The Spaniard booked his place in the last 16 when Austrian Stefan Koubek retired with a virus after losing the first set of their match.

Tenth seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also stayed on track with a four set win over Germany's Tommy Haas and will face Spaniard Nicolas Almagro next.

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