Stefanos Tsitsipas wanted to keep the secrets of his late resurgence to himself after he finally saw off Jannik Sinner in five sets in the Australian Open fourth round.

The number three seed looked to be easing to victory when he claimed the first two sets, but Sinner fought back to force a decider.

Tsitsipas managed to rediscover his earlier form though to finally seal a 6-4 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory and book his place in the quarter-finals.

The Greek is the youngest player to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at the Australian Open since Novak Djokovic (from 2008 to 2010).

"It was all about getting myself relaxed and ready for the big battle in the fifth set," he explained at a press conference. "Of course, things weren't going my way after being two sets to love up. It seemed like the momentum switched dramatically, to me at least. There was a big gap that I couldn't fill in.

"But I made a few technical adjustments in the fifth, gave myself an opportunity to play a bit more loose. That really helped me serve better. I think I kept on moving. I kept on being active to be on these returns that I couldn't get in the previous sets."

Tsitsipas struggled on his own serve in particular, facing 26 break points in all, but his resilience saw him save 22 of them, and his dramatic improvement in the deciding set got him over the line when it appeared certain the Italian would become only the second player ever to come from two sets down to beat Tsitsipas at a grand slam (after Djokovic in the 2021 French Open final).

"There were some things, for sure, that I can look back to now and say that was not the best thing to do," the 24-year-old added. "I think it's also important to keep it to myself.

"We have certain things that we want to keep to ourselves and get back and improve. Not everything has to be public. Not everything has to be exposed and said.

"But it's a feeling. It's something that showed something different earlier in the match. And for some reason I decided not to follow or I give myself an idea that I can do things more extreme.

"That didn't seem to work at all. But the most important thing, I did fight. When I came to the most important part of the match, I regrouped and did it the way I did it in the first two sets."

Tsitsipas will face Czech 21-year-old Jiri Lehecka in the last eight.

Jiri Lehecka had not anticipated still being in the Australian Open at this point but his latest victory against a seeded player saw him advance to the quarter-finals on Sunday.

The Czech youngster produced another impressive showing to beat number six seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-3) in the fourth round.

Despite having never won a main draw match at a grand slam prior to this tournament, Lehecka has now defeated three seeds, having also dispatched of Borna Coric (21) and Cameron Norrie (11) during his passage to the last eight.

"Honestly, it feels amazing," he said after the victory. "To be in the quarters, I wouldn't believe it if somebody told me this when I was on my way over here.

"I'm super excited for everything that will come next. Of course, I'll try to do my best to recover well and to show my best tennis again in my next match."

While his Canadian opponent utilised his serve well, hitting 20 aces, it was on net points where Lehecka thrived, winning 33 of 41 while Auger-Aliassime managed just 11 of 26.

The 21-year-old has another big test next as he faces third seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, having lost to the Greek in their one previous meeting in Rotterdam in February despite winning the first set.

"I'll be super excited [to face Tsitsipas]," Lehecka said. "I will go for that revenge, for sure. I know that he will remember how we played last year in Rotterdam. One set I was the better player on the court. Then he overtook the match. But I think that he will remember, and he will know what my strengths are.

"He will feel that I can get him under pressure. At the same time, I know that he's a great player. I mean, he's number four in the world.

"I know how to play against him."

Karen Khachanov achieved something not seen at the Australian Open in 11 years as he beat Yoshihito Nishioka in straight sets at Melbourne Park.

The Russian number 18 seed remarkably won the first 14 games of the fourth-round contest, inflicting two double bagels on Japanese opponent on Sunday.

That had not been achieved in the men's draw since Philipp Petzschner won the first two sets against Lukas Rosol without losing a game in 2012, and was just the fifth time it had happened in the Open Era.

Khachanov completely dominated Nishioka until the third set, incredibly only dropping two points in the whole of the second.

Nishioka, seeded 31, showed some fight to force a third-set tie-break, but Khachanov came out on top in the breaker to seal his place in the quarter-finals, where he will face American Sebastian Korda.

"First two sets I didn't know what was going on, but it's never easy when you are going with the score too easy. You feel it," Khachanov said after the victory. "Then at one point Yoshi tried to turn it around, he pumped [up] the crowd and it's normal.

"I tried to stay focused all the match from the beginning until the end. But it's not easy to win with this score, three sets, so the third set it was a really tough one and I'm playing well, so I'm really happy to go through."

Top seed Iga Swiatek says the pressure of not wanting to lose at the Australian Open got to her and believes she needs a change of mindset after her fourth-round loss to Elena Rybakina.

The three-time grand slam champion had come into the Australian Open as the title favourite but was bundled out by 2022 Wimbledon champion Rybakina 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes on Sunday.

The Kazakh's power was too much for Swiatek, with Rybakina outstanding on serve, leading to apparent frustration from the world number one as the match slipped away.

"I felt the pressure, and I felt that I don't want to lose instead of I want to win," Swiatek told reporters. "So that's a base of what I should focus on in next couple of weeks.

"It was just tough. But for sure I need to work on my kind of mindset and fight a little bit more as I did last season.

"So, for sure I'm going to take time right now to kind of reset."

Swiatek won both the US Open and French Open titles in 2022, while she went on a 37-match winning streak that ended during Wimbledon.

The 21-year-old Pole denied that the pressure of being the world number one played a part in her exit.

"I don't think that matters," she said. "I experience it differently because I felt differently.

"But I was number one on Roland Garros, I was number one on Wimbledon, and US Open. I was able to - maybe not on Wimbledon - but I was able to play well and compete. I don't think that matters."

Swiatek was able to bounce back from her third-round Wimbledon loss to Alize Cornet quickly by triumphing at Flushing Meadows only two months later but she would not draw an parallels with Sunday's defeat.

"I don't see that many similarities, honestly," Swiatek said. "I feel like it's pretty easy. I just wasted too much energy before the tournament and during the first days of the tournament to worry.

"It's just different period of time for me. Before the US Open I was actually able to kind of let it go because I played pretty bad in Toronto and Cincinnati, and that helped me kind of to reset and just start the US Open without actually expecting much from myself.

"Here was different, so I'm not connecting the US Open with the streak at all. I'm not comparing this situation to my Wimbledon loss."

Swiatek praised Rybakina, who will face Jelena Ostapenko in the quarter-finals, for her play on Sunday, stating she was tactically composed and focused.

Coco Gauff revealed her frustration after her unbeaten start to 2013 was ended as the seventh seed bowed out of the Australian Open to Jelena Ostapenko in the fourth round on Sunday.

The 18-year-old American came into the Melbourne event fresh from victory at the Auckland Open but had not dropped a set in her three Australian Open victories, including toppling Emma Raducanu in the second round.

Gauff enjoyed a strong 2022 season that included reaching the US Open quarter-finals and finishing runner-up at the French Open.

But on Sunday, 2017 French Open champion Ostapenko triumphed 7-5 6-3 in one hour and 34 minutes, ending Gauff's Australian Open campaign, leaving the teenager in tears as she explained her frustration.

"I felt really good coming into the tournament, and I still feel good," Gauff told reporters. "I still feel like I've improved a lot but when you play a player like her and she plays really well, you know there's nothing you can do.

"I feel like today I would say nothing because every match you play a part in, but I feel like it was rough, so it's a little bit frustrating on that part."

Ostapenko hit 30 winners compared to Gauff's 21, while the Latvian did commit more unforced errors (27-14).

Gauff generated eight break points throughout the match but only took one, while Ostapenko took all three of hers.

"Today I learned a lot," Gauff said. "A little bit frustrated, but I think I'll rewatch and see where I went wrong and if I did go wrong.

"I feel like from the feedback I've gotten that she just played really well today. She stepped up her game when she needed to, and she held and broke me when she needed to, and I didn't do that."

Ostapenko progresses to the quarter-finals where she will take on 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina who knocked off top seed Iga Swiatek.

World number one Iga Swiatek was knocked out of the Australian Open in straight sets in the fourth round by Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina on Sunday.

The reigning US Open and French Open winner could not handle Rybakina's outstanding serve, with the Kazakh triumphing 6-4 6-4 in one hour and 30 minutes on Rod Laver Arena.

Rybakina won 80 per cent of first-serve points, including sending down six aces, while she broke Swiatek four times throughout the match.

Swiatek's elimination means the top-two seeds in both the women's and men's singles are out, with Ons Jabeur losing in the second round.

Title favourite Swiatek had routed Cristina Bucsa in 55 minutes in Friday's third-round win but she was broken immediately on Sunday by 23-year-old Rykabina, who offered a different threat.

"It was a really tough match," Rybakina said during her on-court interview after the match. "I really respect Iga. Today I think I was serving so good. In the end, I think in the important moments I played really well. I think that was the difference."

Swiatek did respond after Rybakina's early break by squaring up the first set at 2-2, but the Kazakh re-claimed her lead for 4-3, before serving to love to clinch the opening frame.

The 21-year-old Pole seemed outclassed in the 42-minute first set, but responded immediately in the second, racing to a 3-0 lead, only for Rybakina to hit back again to get it back on serve.

Rybakina failed to convert two break points at 15-40 in the ninth game but capitalised on her third opportunity, before serving out for victory, including another big ace at 30-0.

Data slam: Swiatek's grand slam dominance halted

Swiatek had not dropped a set all tournament, prior to losing the opening frame to Rybakina. In fact, the Pole had lost only two sets in her past 10 grand slam matches, dating back to her 2022 US Open triumph. Including her 2022 French Open title, she had only dropped five sets in her previous 19 grand slam matches.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Swiatek – 15/14
Rybakina – 24/25

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Swiatek – 2/1
Rybakina – 6/1

BREAK POINTS WON

Swiatek – 2/4
Rybakina – 4/6

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have called for changes to the Australian Open schedule after several late finishes in Melbourne.

Three-time grand slam champion Murray bowed out of the season's opening major on Saturday following a four-set defeat by Roberto Bautista Agut in round three.

The 35-year-old arrived in the clash having already spent over 10 hours on court across his victories over Matteo Berrettini and Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Murray's 4:05am local time finish in the latter match was the third-latest in tennis history after he recovered from two sets down to deny the home favourite in a thrilling clash that took five hours and 45 minutes to settle.

The Briton subsequently voiced his concerns with scheduling, which tournament director Craig Tiley has no plans to change.

He reiterated those worries after defeat by number 24 seed Bautista Agut, suggesting the Australian Open could follow the trend set by another of the sport's major events.

"I'm sure if you went and spoke to some sleep experts and sports scientists – the people that actually really know what's important for athletes to recover – they would tell you that sleep is the number one thing, that that's the most important thing," he said.

"Finishing matches at four in the morning isn't good for the players. I would also argue it's not good for the sport, anyone involved in it. I do think there's some quite simple things that can be done to change that.

"I think the US Open went to playing two matches in the day session. That would stop the day matches running into the night session starting too late.

"I think that's quite a simple one that you could look at. You'd still get quality matches during the day. The people who bought ground passes would get to see more of the top players, which would be excellent for them.

"I think if you did that, you could also potentially bring the night sessions slightly earlier, as well, like 6:00 or 6:30. That time, those few hours, can make a difference to the players."

Nine-time Melbourne champion Djokovic, who overcame injury to defeat Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, concurred with Murray.

"I think that players' input is always important for tournament organisation. Whether it's decisive, we know that it's not, because it comes down to what the TV broadcasters want to have," Djokovic said. "That's the ultimate decision maker.

"I would agree with [Murray's] points. I think we have days when the day sessions go longer, but probably more days statistically in average where they finish – say five, six max – and you can start the night session an hour earlier at least.

"For the crowd, it's entertaining, it's exciting. For us, it's really gruelling. Even if you go through and win, prevail in these matches, you still have to come back.

"You have your sleeping cycle, rhythm disrupted completely, not enough time really to recover for another five-setter. Something needs to be addressed in terms of the schedule after what we've seen this year."

Magda Linette made it through to the fourth round of a grand slam for the first time after she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova 6-3 6-4 at the Australian Open.

The result, paired with Iga Swiatek's third-round win on Friday, also means that two Polish female players are through to a grand slam fourth round for the first time in the Open Era since 2008, when Marta Domachowska and Agnieszka Radwanska both reached the same stage of the same tournament.

Indeed, Linette also became just the fourth female Polish player to reach the last 16 at a grand slam in the Open Era after Domachowska, Radwanska and the current world number one Swiatek.

Linette – who had lost each of her previous six grand slam third-round matches – recovered from a break down in the first set against the number 19 seed, while the second went very differently.

The world number 45 raced out to a 4-0 lead and seemed on course to finish the job quickly, before Alexandrova fought back to 5-4.

Linette kept her nerve to serve out the win and set up a fourth-round clash against fourth seed Caroline Garcia, who came from a set down to defeat Laura Siegemund.

Andy Murray is confident he can reach the latter stages of a grand slam before calling time on his career after being left "disappointed" by his third-round exit at the Australian Open.

The 35-year-old showed what he is capable of by defeating Thanasi Kokkinakis in a near-six-hour epic in the early hours of Friday, but he came unstuck against Roberto Bautista Agut on Saturday.

Murray, who was also on the court for almost four hours against Matteo Berrettini in the first round, fell just short of a place in the last 16 with a 6-1 6-7 (9-7) 6-3 6-4 loss on Margaret Court Arena.

Three-time grand slam winner Murray is already looking ahead to the Rotterdam Open in three weeks' time, though, and is hopeful of making his mark at the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open later in the year. 

"I can have a deeper run than the third round of a slam, there's no question about that," he told reporters. "Obviously draws can open up for you.

"I need to also help myself with that. If I was playing at this level last year, I probably wouldn't be ranked 50, 60 in the world. It's up to me to try and change that."

Murray, who was on court for around 14 hours across his three matches in Melbourne, says the amount of hours put into practising is made worthwhile as he looks to prolong his career.

"Obviously you never know exactly when the end is going to be," he said. "I would like to go out playing tennis like this, where I'm competing with the best players in the world in the biggest events and doing myself justice.

"There were maybe times the last year or so where I didn't really feel like I was playing well, and I didn't enjoy the way that I was playing.

"Those sacrifices and that effort that I put in allowed me to get through those matches and play at a high level that I think was entertaining for the people watching.

"I felt good about the way that I was playing. It's more enjoyable for me when I'm playing like that, when I'm coming into a major event and really believing that I can do some damage."

Perhaps showing signs of rustiness from his early-morning finish against Kokkinakis, Murray struggled in the first set against Bautista Agut as three double faults – as many as he had in the whole of his second-round match – handed the initiative to his opponent.

Murray recovered from a point down in the second set to level up via a tie-break, despite trailing 5-2 and 6-4, though Bautista Agut earned the only break of serve in the third set to edge back in front.

Never before had Murray played three successive five-set matches in the main draw of a grand slam, and that remains the case as Bautista Agut shut out the loud noise generated by the crowd to recover from an early break down and take the match.

"I have a lot of mixed emotions," said Murray, who has not reached a grand slam quarter-final in six years. "I feel like I gave everything that I had to this event. So I'm proud of that.

"That is all you can ever do. You can't always control the outcome. You can't control how well you're going to play or the result. You can control the effort that you put into it, and I gave everything that I had the last three matches. I'm very proud of that.

"But I'm also disappointed because I put loads of work into the beginning of this year and was playing well enough to have a really good run, have a deep run.

"I think even tonight I'm competing against a guy 20 in the world, and it's still very tight considering the circumstances. I feel disappointed because I feel like I could have gone quite a bit further."

Number 24 seed Bautista Agut, who has only once previously reached the last eight in Melbourne, will face Tommy Paul in the next round.

Novak Djokovic recognised his ongoing hamstring troubles are "not ideal" but said in "high-level professional tennis you have got to find a way".

The Serbian beat number 27 seed Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the third round of the Australian Open on Saturday, despite clearly feeling the hamstring injury that hampered him in his second-round match.

Djokovic was particularly struggling in the first set, though was able to win a tense tie-break 9-7, before going on to win the second and third sets 6-3 6-4 in a match that lasted over three hours.

"I went up and down with my leg, at times it was feeling good and at times not so good, so I had to handle that," Djokovic told Eurosport after the victory.

"Also Grigor is in form, played well for over three hours and three sets, I can't even imagine if I'd lost one of those sets what the length of the match [would have been].

"[I was] just fortunate to find the right shots in the right moments, I thought the double break in the third would be enough but from that moment he was locked in, he didn't miss much, he made me play, made me run all over the place, he read my serves very well, so it was just an incredible battle in the end."

Djokovic received a medical timeout at the end of the first set, which seemed to do the trick as he looked more comfortable in the second, and he broke twice early in the third before a brief Dimitrov fightback, which was ultimately in vain.

"It's movement," he clarified about the injury. "A specific movement that just triggers so I prayed that it doesn't happen, but it happened in the match so I had to deal with it, I had to call the physio and get the pills in my system and it helps so far.

"Not ideal but somehow finding a way. This is high-level professional tennis and you've got to find a way."

The fourth seed faces Australian Alex de Minaur in the fourth round.

Novak Djokovic is through to the fourth round at the Australian Open after beating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, but he was made to work for it.

The number four seed was troubled by the hamstring injury carried over from his second-round win against Enzo Couacaud in the first set before winning it on a tie-break.

Djokovic seemed back to normal as he won the second set, but exchanged several breaks of serve with Dimitrov before finally sealing a 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 6-4 win.

The Serbian broke in the first game, but Dimitrov showed admirable grit not to drop serve again, saving set points at 5-3 down before breaking back as Djokovic served for the set.

Despite being visibly hampered by his hamstring, Djokovic saved three set points himself, one of which came in the tense tie-break, before prevailing, the effort it took seeing him briefly collapse to the floor after executing a cross-court volley to seal an opener that lasted 77 minutes.

A medical timeout before second set seemed to make a difference as he continued to trouble the Bulgarian's serve, eventually breaking in the sixth game and going on to take a two-set lead.

Djokovic broke in the first and third games of the third set as Dimitrov began to realise the Serbian's injury issues were not going to be a factor, and although he won a break back, he gave it away to love in the very next game.

The determined 27th seed broke back again before finally holding his serve, but when Djokovic managed to reach his first match point after another long rally, the pair waved to the crowd for noise as they cheered the efforts of both competitors, with Djokovic finishing it off at the first attempt to book a last-16 clash with home hope Alex de Minaur.

Data slam – Unforced errors cost Dimitrov 

There were some impressive rallies throughout the contest, but while the aggressive approach from Dimitrov brought 53 winners, it also led to 50 unforced errors, several of which were on key points.

WINNERS/UNFORCED ERRORS

Dimitrov – 53/50
Djokovic – 28/22

ACES/DOUBLE FAULTS

Dimitrov – 15/4
Djokovic – 11/2

BREAK POINTS WON

Dimitrov – 3/8
Djokovic – 5/12

Aryna Sabalenka could never previously have been accused of being "boring", but she now wears that tag as a badge of honour and believes it can lead to Australian Open glory.

The world number five from Belarus has found a way to control her previously volatile emotions, cured her torrid serving yips through persistent hard work, and an elusive grand slam might soon be coming her way.

Sabalenka won 6-2 6-3 against Belgian Elise Mertens in an hour and 14 minutes on Margaret Court Arena on Saturday, delivering another dominant performance that means she has yet to drop a set this year.

That includes a fuss-free run to the Adelaide International 1 title and a brisk dash through the opening three rounds at Melbourne Park. She is 14-0 for sets in 2023, and this new version of Sabalenka faces Olympic champion Belinda Bencic next for a place in the quarter-finals.

Sabalenka's talent has never been in doubt, but her temperament has been a sticking point.

Asked what had been key to her sauntering untroubled through the opening rounds this year, Sabalenka said: "I think my calmness on the court. That's pretty much it. I was just ready for everything. Whatever's going to happen on court, I'm ready for that. I think this is the key.

"I wish I would have been like that a few years ago. Finally, I understand what everyone was looking for and asking for.

"I need to be a little bit boring on court. It's still about a lot of positive emotions for me, but I'm trying to stay away from negative and just fight for every point."

She is fighting the inclination to throw her racket and scream when moments go against her, and says staving off the dark thoughts is becoming "a little bit more natural right now".

Last year, Sabalenka served at least 10 double faults in each of her three opening matches in Melbourne, coming from a set down to win each time, before bowing out in round four after a wild tussle with Kaia Kanepi.

Iga Swiatek remains the title favourite with the bookmakers this year, but Sabalenka is second on that list.

"About being the favourite, I don't know," the 24-year-old said. "I mean, it's really good that I'm there, but I better focus on myself, on my game, make sure that my dream will happen."

She is allowing herself to dream, but not to become carried away, knowing this has been her undoing in the past.

"I just have to stay the same, because before, in the second week, I remember I was getting nervous, I was overthinking, over-dreaming," Sabalenka said. "I really believed and believe that the only one thing that was missing was my emotions, that I was too emotional on court.

"I really believe if I'm going to keep the same mindset, the same calm on court, I really believe that I can get it."

Bencic is also enjoying a terrific start to the year, winning the Adelaide International 2 tournament and easing through her opening Australian Open tests.

The Swiss has a new coach in Dmitry Tursunov, and the link-up with the Russian, who briefly worked with Emma Raducanu last season, is bearing fruit.

Sabalenka knows the threat that lies ahead, saying of Bencic: "She's a great fighter, a great player, moving well, hitting the ball quite clean.

"I feel like I have to stay really aggressive in the first few shots, and then the slower ball or shorter ball will come.

"I think it's all about fast feet on the first few shots. I have to be like really a tiger, stay low and ready for that."

Andrey Rublev avenged a recent straight sets loss to Dan Evans in convincing fashion on Friday, advancing through to the fourth round with a 6-4 6-2 6-3 victory.

Rublev's serve was the dominant force in the match, not conceding a single break as he saved all four of Evans' break point opportunities.

He finished with 10 aces to Evans' three, and created 15 break point opportunities of his own, securing four.

When speaking to the media after his win, Rublev said his recent defeat against Evans in July's Montreal Open was still fresh in his mind and he was thrilled to turn the tables this time.

"I'm happy with my game today, especially because last time I lost to him in straight sets," he said. "So I took the revenge.

"I'm really happy – I mean, the first set wasn't amazing, but was not that bad. I was just serving well, I was not doing something special.

"As soon as I was able to win the first set, I started to feel a relief, I started to feel more confident, I started to feel I can go for extra speed to raise a level.

"As soon as I did it, I started to feel even more confident, because I started to feel that this game, he cannot control. He was not able to do something – he started to stress more, and I started to feel it."

Rublev has never been past the quarter-finals of a grand slam, and when asked what has been holding him back, he said it was obvious.

"It's easy, and I think it's obvious – it's the mental part," he said. "That's it. Because game-wise, I think I have a good game to fight against top players, to play and compete."

The world number six will play world number 10 Holger Rune in the fourth round, with a place in the last eight on the line.

Rublev feels he is just as dangerous as his 19-year-old opponent because they both have "nothing to lose".

"He's a young guy, super talented," Rublev said. "He has nothing to lose for the moment, because he was going from underdog position all the time.

"But this year, we'll see. It's going to be challenging for him, and I have nothing to lose against him next time, because he was the one who won our first match, so he will feel a bit of pressure."

Maria Sakkari joined eight of her fellow co-stars from the Netflix series Break Point in suffering an early exit from the Australian Open.

Of the 10 players to have featured in the series, which first aired on the streaming platform last week, only Felix Auger-Aliassime remains following Sakkari's defeat to Lin Zhu on Friday.

Sakkari, the WTA sixth seed, went down 7-6 1-6 6-4 to world number 87 Lin, who claimed her first victory over a top-10 opponent.

Lin became the sixth Chinese female player to reach the fourth round at the Australian Open in the Open Era.

"I mean honestly, am I in a dream?" Lin said in her on-court interview.

"I have to believe in myself that I have the ability to be able to play at this high level. Who knows what's going to happen? You never know."

She added in her press conference: "It means a lot. It makes me believe that I can play at this level and I can beat a player like her.

"It took me a long time to get here, and so that's why I'm so emotional. This is not the end. Let's keep going."

Sakkari's defeat saw the Greek join Thanasi Kokkinakis, Taylor Fritz, Matteo Berrettini, Casper Ruud and Ons Jabeur in exiting the season's first grand slam within the opening three rounds.

Ruud and Jabeur were the respective second seeds in the men's and women's singles, while Berrettini and Kokkinakis both fell foul of a resurgent Andy Murray, whose victory comeback over Kokkinakis lasted almost six hours and went on beyond 4:00 am local time.

Nick Kyrgios, Ajla Tomljanovic and Paula Badosa also featured in the five-part Netflix series, which will air its second batch of episodes later in the year, but all three withdrew from the Australian Open due to injury.

A downcast Sakkari, who had rubbished the suggestion of any "Netflix curse" in a previous press conference, told reporters: "I think that my level was not good at all. I started the match by being very defensive and not hitting the ball, just being scared of playing my game.

"She had basically nothing to lose. She was playing free. She was enjoying herself. She was playing very, very well. I didn't handle the situation well.

"She was barely missing anything, [not] making any unforced errors. That's how I felt. She was very solid from both sides. I've seen her on the tour. I've never seen her playing that well, to be honest.

"Of course, beating Jil [Teichmann] in the round before, she was pretty pumped and motivated to have a good result here. She has achieved it already by beating two very good players."

Lin's next opponent will be two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka, who became the eighth female player in the Open Era to win 45+ main draw matches at the Australian Open by beating Madison Keys 1-6 6-2 6-1.

Azarenka joins Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Martina Hingis, Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova on that list.

"She's a great champion," Lin said of Azarenka. "She's a great player. I will just keep playing like I played today and trust myself, enjoy the match. Who knows?"

Sebastian Korda sent two-time finalist Daniil Medvedev packing from the Australian Open but admitted: "I'm definitely the worst athlete in the family."

It was not even a show of modesty from Korda but a reflection of the sporting success his parents and siblings have achieved.

The 22-year-old American has had big wins before, yet his 7-6 (9-7) 6-3 7-6 (7-4) win against 2021 US Open champion Medvedev on Rod Laver Arena might go down as the best of the lot. It was his first win over a top-10 player in a grand slam and means Medvedev will slide out of that elite group at the end of the tournament.

Korda has made an outstanding start to the year, defeating Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner on his way to the Adelaide International 1 final, where he took a set off Novak Djokovic.

Now he is through to the fourth round of a major for a third second time after previous runs at the French Open and Wimbledon.

Reminded about his father Petr's Australian Open men's singles title in 1998, Korda stepped in to say: "Even better, though, my sisters won the Australian Open in women's golf."

LPGA Tour stars Jessica and Nelly Korda took that title in 2012 and 2019, respectively, on the way to being recognised among the biggest stars in their sport.

Mother Regina was also an established tennis player on the WTA circuit in the 1980s and early 1990s.

"I don't know what I'm going to be ranked. My mum's career-high was number 24, my dad was two," Korda said.

"Nelly, my sister was number one, my older sister Jessica was six, so I'm definitely the worst athlete in the family so far."

As it stands, Korda has moved to 28th on the provisional ATP rankings by coming through three rounds.

He won the Australian Open boys' title in 2018 but now has bigger targets, with a fourth-round tussle against Hubert Hurkacz ahead of him.

Korda has Andre Agassi in his corner, albeit distantly. He has described the four-time Australian Open winner as a "mentor", and Las Vegas-based Agassi stayed up until the early hours at home to watch the Medvedev match.

"He texted me. He's going to bed now," Korda said after his late-night win in Melbourne.

"He's one of the most special people in my life. We started talking during COVID in 2020. He's been one of the biggest parts in my rise. Just overall as a tennis player, as a human being. We spend a lot of time together. He's very special to me."

Now 10th seed Hurkacz awaits, and Korda, seeded 29th, knows that will be a tricky assignment.

"We practise quite a bit," Korda said. "Usually whenever we practise, he actually wins the tournament. I always give him jokes about that. I'm looking forward to it. It's exciting, the fourth round of a grand slam. I'll be ready to go."

Can Korda win the Australian Open, just like his dad, and keep up the family tradition of outstanding results in the country?

"It's a special place for us," he said. "We've had some really great results. Hopefully I can do one better than the juniors and do it in the pros."

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