Milos Raonic struck a blow for the next generation of men’s tennis by flooring former champion Stan Wawrinka yesterday before China’s Zhang Shuai became the first qualifier to reach the Australian Open quarter-finals in more than 20 years.
Second seed Andy Murray, returning to court two days after his father-in-law was rushed to hospital, hit back for the old guard in the evening session at Rod Laver Arena though, banishing Bernard Tomic, the last home hope in the singles.
Murray’s win capped a banner day for Britain following Johanna Konta’s advance, giving the nation men’s and women’s singles quarter-finalists at the same grand slam for the first time in nearly 40 years.
Raonic and Wawrinka slugged out a three-hour 44-minute thriller in the day session on Rod Laver Arena.
Long seen as a threat to the Novak Djokovic-led establishment, 25-year-old Raonic showed ice in his veins to fend off the 2014 champion 6-4 6-3 5-7 4-6 6-3 after the 30-year-old Swiss roared back from two sets down.
Unveiling an aggressive serve-volley game, Raonic fired 82 winners past the fourth seed to set up a second successive quarter-final at Melbourne Park.
Having lost to Djokovic a year ago, he will be favourite against French showman Gael Monfils who delighted fans with some spectacular dives as he beat Russian Andrey Kuznetsov 7-5 3-6 6-3 7-6(4) to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.
Chinese qualifier Zhang, on a fairytale run after snapping her streak of 14 first-round exits at grand slams, overhauled a hobbling Madison Keys 3-6 6-3 6-3 in the day’s late match.
The 133rd-ranked 27-year-old struggled to put the ailing American down but eventually celebrated becoming the first qualifier to reach the last eight in Australia since Mexico’s Angelica Gavaldon in 1990.
After the stress of Nigel Sears’ collapse at Rod Laver Arena on Saturday, Murray returned to the same venue to ease past world number 17 Tomic 6-4 6-4 7-6(4) and will battle hyper-fit Spaniard David Ferrer, who beat John Isner 6-4 6-4 7-5, for a spot in the semi-finals.
Murray’s Sydney-born compatriot Konta, granted British citizenship in 2012, continued her superb run, overhauling last year’s semi-finalist Ekaterina Maka-rova 4-6 6-4 8-6 in a match lasting three hours and four minutes.
Twice champion and 14th seed Victoria Azarenka continued her ominous advance, beating Czech Barbora Strycova 6-2 6-4.
The former world number one has dropped only 11 games so far.
Azarenka next plays German seventh seed Angelique Kerber who reached her first Melbourne Park quarter-final with a 6-4 6-0 win over Annika Beck.