Sports

Australian Open Results: Nadal Out, Na Li And Jie Zheng Still In

by Yuliya Talmazan | January 26, 2010 at 09:11 am

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The 2010 Australian Open is well into the quarterfinals stage, and this is where it gets exciting. Eliminated yesterday were American Andy Roddick and Spain's Rafael Nadal, a reigning Australian Open champion. Nadal experienced a knee problem during the game with Andy Murray and had to pull out prematurely. Knowing how much of a fighter Nadal always is, this early exit is making many of his fans anxious.

“It happened at the end of the second set in one drop. And I felt a similar thing to what I had last year. After that I can’t bend down. When I have the chance to play, I never retire. I go to the limit today, but did not cross it.

So, Andy Murray of the U.K. got past the quarterfinals with just three sets down on Tuesday. On the same day, Marin Cilic of Croatia beat Andy Roddick in a long five-set game. And so, while two of semifinalists have been already determined, Novak Djokovic/ Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Roger Federer/Nikolay Davydenko still have to play on Wednesday. It is expected Djokovic will meet Federer in the semi's, but Davydenko has beaten Federer in the past, and Tsonga got to the finals of the Australian Open before, although he could not get past Djokovic who won the title in 2008.

In ladies, two Russians Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko have been eliminated by Justin Henin and Jie Zheng respectively. Henin and Zheng will now meet in the semi's. Both Serena and Venus Williams have yet to play on Wednesday. Many are predicting an all-Williams semifinal, but both No.7 seeded Victoria Azarenka and an up-and-coming Na Li of China can pose serious danger to the sisters. Some are also talking about a potential all-Chinese final should both Jie Zheng and Na Li advance, setting a precedent for such a powerful Chinese representation at the Australian Open. A Chinese woman has never won and never been a runner-up in the finals of the Australian Open.