On the women’s side, the new team of Chan Yung-Jan and Andrea Hlavackova fell to Timea Babos—Hlavackova’s former partner—and Kristina Mladenovic, 8-6 in the deciding tiebreak.
Babos and Mladenovic will be back on court as the women do battle in the semifinals, while the last of the men’s quarterfinalists will vie for a spot in the final four.
Here’s a look at some of Wednesday's matches:
(5) Timea Babos/Kristina Mladenovic vs. (8) Shuai Peng/Su-Wei Hsieh:
How much will Babos and Mladenovic have left in the tank after such a grueling match? Hsieh and Peng had a much easier go of it on Tuesday as they beat the fourth-seeded team, Lucie Safarova and Barbora Strycova, in straight sets. The two-time major winners are peaking at the right time, and Peng could land in her second consecutive Australian Open final, having partnered Hlavackova to the championship round last year.
(10) Irina-CameliaBegu/Monica Niculescu vs. (2) Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina:
While the top seeds in men’s and women’s doubles came out on the losing end of a deciding tiebreak yesterday, the No. 2 women’s team emerged victorious. Makarova and Vesnina rallied after dropping the first set 6-0 against Gabriela Dabrowski and Yifan Xu, to take their second consecutive three-setter. It’s the Russian’s first semifinal appearance since 2014, when they reached the final.
Sam Groth/Lleyton Hewitt vs. (11) Juan Sebastian Cabal/Robert Farah:
Groth and Hewitt are on the cusp of doing something special. “Team Retired” next faces “Colombian Power,” a.k.a. Cabal and Farah, for a spot in the semifinals. The opportunity is there for Groth and Hewitt, who beat Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau, the No. 3 seeds, in the second round. One of the more solid pairings on tour, Cabal and Farah actually haven’t had much success at the majors, and they’re going up against the sentimental favorites/hometown heroes. It’ll definitely be a tough day at the office for the 11th seeds.
Follow Van on Twitter: @Van_Sias
