IT was Australian day of great expectations for thrilling quarterfinal matches in both men’s and women’s events. However, the spectators did not receive their money’s worth of having duels that would go the length of three sets and five sets respectively.

The three winners, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic not only confirmed the seedings, but they also confidently performed on the subliminal awareness of dominating the opponent each faced.

The losers, Maria Sharapova, Tomas Berdych and Kei Nishikori, fell to the barrage of shot making, as well as to the burden of indismissable memory of past encounters with their victors.

First, it was 34-year old Serena Williams, who faced five-time grand slam winner, 28- year-old Maria Sharapova, who, as a 17-year-old unknown debutante, deprived her of the 2004 Wimbledon trophy and the year-end WTA title.

Before this year’s face-off on the Rod Laver Arena, Serena had won all their 18 matches. She made it 19-2 before a capacity crowd.

The defending champion broke Sharapova in the first game. Games levelled at three-all, Williams took her service game hammering two aces in the process. Sharapova fell behind 0-40, but Williams returned a powerful serve into the net and game was deuced with an ace before Sharapova took the game. It was the reverse in the ninth game when Williams double faulted at game point and needed two aces to stave off break and then hold.

A net cord at game point led to deuce, in which Williams missed two break points, saved a game point, but eventually won the game with a winning volley to take the first set 6-4 in 55 minutes.

Immediately, she received medical attention for an undisclosed problem. She promptly took her serve in the opening game and broke Sharapova by wrong-footing her in the second.

She broke Sharapova in the fourth game, took the fifth for a 5-0 lead. Sharapova fought hard to hold the sixth game. The seventh game provided some drama. Williams saved the first break point with a 156kph second service ace, cancelled another before taking the game set and match 6-1.

In his own game, Federer won the toss and chose to serve. He conceded only one point with a rare double fault before taking the first game. Berdych broke Federer in the third game, but quickly fell behind in his service to allow Feeder break back, with a “common-on” yell from the Swiss.

He held easily and games went with serve. Berdych resisted a sustained effort by Roger to break him in the sixth game lasting 10 minutes and with equal numbers of aces and double faults. He eventually held. The set was decided by a tie-break won by Federer.

The second set was racy and after 24 minutes, Federer won by six games to two. In the third set, Berdych broke Federer to go up two games to love, but his opponent broke back and held on to his serve to level two-all. Games went with serve until the ninth.

Down 0-40, he delivered an ace and hit a service winner to deuce; lost two game points before netting a shot to give Federer the crucial break.

Serving for the set and match, Feeder hit an ace to reach 40-0. A passing shot by Berdych saved the first match point, but the next was held when Federer smashed an overhead that Berdych ducked on the baseline.

Also yesterday, Djokovic took the first set in his encounter with Kei Nishikori. In the second set, the Japanese was broken in the first game while Djokovic held to lead 2-0. He also took Nishikori’s serve in the fifth and never looked back before taking the set at 6-2.

A medical trainer came on court and accompanied Nishikori off to the locker room for treatment. On return, a rejuvenated Nishikori hit with greater authority and took the first game. The crowd roared in hope of a come-back.

However, Djokovic thought otherwise, winning his serves in short time and few rallies. He broke Nishikori’s service in the fifth game and held on to his serve in the 10th to take the third set by six games to four.

One of the highlights of the day at the arena was the happy ceremony, which marked Australian Day.The great legend, Rod Laver, was ushered to the court to receive the honour ‘Companion of the Order of Australia.’

In a short speech, the President of Tennis Australia, Steve Healy, revealed that when Rodney “The Rocket” Laver won the Australian Open, the first leg to the first ever Grand Slam in 1969, he was not given a trophy. Therefore, along with his conferred honour, he received a souvenir Norman Brookes Trophy, which the great man held aloft for the photographers.
At the end of the ceremony, everyone stood up and men took off their hats as the National Anthem of Australia was played.