TENNIS: Rafael Nadal had little trouble reaching the quarter-finals of the Australian Open today. The top seed saw off the 2007 runner-up Fernando Gonzalez 6-3 6-2 6-4 on the Rod Laver Arena to set up a meeting with Gilles Simon.
Nadal took the upper hand early in the fourth-round contest when he broke Gonzalez in his first service game to take a 2-0 lead. The 13th seed broke back at 3-2 but then an unforced error once again gave his serve away and Nadal closed out the set.
The Spaniard then established a 3-1 advantage in the second and broke Gonzalez, clearly fatigued after his five-set epic against Richard Gasquet in the previous round, for a second time on his way to claiming the set 6-2 and a 2-0 lead.
The Chilean had three break points in Nadal's opening service game but the top seed fought back to deuce. However, a rare error saw him find the net with a return and Gonzalez was handed a crucial advantage.
It was swiftly cancelled out, however, as Nadal drew level at 3-3 and then converted the second of three break points with a sumptuous forehand as the end appeared to be drawing ever closer for a tiring Gonzalez.
And Nadal duly wrapped up victory when Gonzalez hit a forehand beyond the baseline.
Nadal now faces sixth seed Simon, a player he beat at Melbourne Park 12 months ago. However, the Frenchman won their last meeting at the Madrid Masters back in October.
He had earlier progressed when Gael Monfils retired when two sets to one down.
Simon led 6-4 2-6 6-1 when the injury-prone Monfils offered his hand due to a wrist problem, leaving Simon to advance to his first-ever Grand Slam quarter-final.
In the women's singles, second seed Serena Williams progressed to the quarter-finals after opponent Victoria Azarenka retired through illness in the heat.
The Belarusian had taken the first set in impressive fashion 6-3 but took a lengthy break when 3-2 down in the second.
The 13th seed then looked increasingly unsteady on her feet in the sixth game and eventually called it a day when 4-2 behind.
Azarenka explained later that she had been ill in the morning.
"I started really feeling sick in the morning," she said. "I woke up at 6am and I was throwing up all the morning and just felt weak.
"Once I got to the court, I went to see the doctor, I felt a little bit better. Throughout the first set, a little bit of the second, then I just had no more energy to go."
Williams admitted afterwards she had been "really worried" for her opponent.
"Honestly, I got worried," she said. "I was like, 'oh, my goodness', because she started like walking really slow. The last thing she would want to do, to me, would be fall. It was just weird."
There was another retirement later with Zheng Jie quitting her match with eighth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova in the first set due to a wrist injury.
The Chinese, who reached the Wimbledon semi-finals last year, was 4-1 down at the time. Kuznetsova will now play Williams.
Another Russian, fourth seed Elena Dementieva, did complete her match but also progressed smoothly.
She won 10 games in a row in the middle of her 6-2 6-2 victory over Dominika Cibulkova.
Dementieva's impressive display and the fall of several of the top seeds has seen her title odds tumble, but she does not feel she is the tournament favourite.
When quizzed on the subject, she said: "I'm the favourite? I don't think so, because Dinara (Safina) herself looks like she's in a good shape. She's made the biggest improvement since last year, so she's probably the favourite to win.
"But there is still Serena (Williams) and there are a lot of good players here. It's going to be a tough competition. I mean, I'm not thinking who's the favourite; I'm just trying to take one match at a time and be focused and play my best."
Dementieva next faces Carla Suarez Navarro, the Spaniard who has already beaten Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in Melbourne.
Suarez Navarro moved into the last eight with a 6-3 6-2 win over compatriot Anabel Medina Garrigues.