Sabalenka kick offs WTA Finals campaign with win over Olympic champ Qinwen

MELBOURNE: Iga Swiatek said Monday she was stepping into the unknown against Emma Navarro after the pair had wildly contrasting runs to their Australian Open quarterfinal clash. 

Swiatek showed no mercy to end “lucky loser” Eva Lys’s historic run, marching into the last eight 6-0, 6-1 in an hour. 

All the Pole’s wins in Melbourne have come in straight sets and she has dropped only 11 games. 

By contrast, Navarro spent 2hr 40min on court, blowing three second-set match points before beating Daria Kasatkina 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 as she was taken the distance for a fourth match in a row. 

“I don’t know what I’m expecting,” said five-time Grand Slam champion Swiatek of the American Navarro. 

“We played in 2018, but I’m not going to count this. 

“I have to treat Emma as someone that I never played. We both made huge progress since that time. It’s a bit different when you don’t know the opponent that well.” 

The world No. 2 has spent less than five hours on court at the first Grand Slam of the year, while eighth seed Navarro has been extended to more than double that playing time. 

Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic got the mea culpas he wanted from a local broadcaster and its employee who insulted him on the air and so, according to tournament organizers, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is ready to concentrate on his quarterfinal showdown with Carlos Alcaraz.

“Novak acknowledges the apology has been given in public as requested," read a statement issued Monday by Tennis Australia, "and is now moving on and focusing on his next match.” 

Also on Monday, Jannik Sinner battled dizzy spells to reach an Australian Open quarterfinal against Alex de Minaur, admitting a long interruption when he accidentally broke the net was “big, big luck.” 

The world No. 1 and defending champion dropped a set before coming home 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 against Danish 13th seed Holger Rune on Rod Laver Arena. 

Sinner struggled in the hot Melbourne conditions, his hand visibly shaking and his heart rate taken in the third set before he left court for a medical timeout. 

There was then a bizarre 20-minute delay when Sinner demolished the metal brace that secures the net to the floor with a thunderous serve early in set four. 

“I was not feeling really well. You know, I think we saw that today I was struggling physically,” said Sinner, 23, who is bidding to become the first Italian man to win three Grand Slam crowns. 

He refused to say exactly what was wrong with him, only that he was “not there health-wise” and had been “a bit dizzy at times.” 

“I don’t want to go into details. I think it was, you know, then also with the pressure and everything, it was not easy.” 

He admitted that the time off court in air-conditioning while officials repaired the net helped him refresh. 

“I was lucky today that ... 20 minutes off court, you know, trying to get back physically, putting some cold water in my head, it was very helpful. It was big, big luck to me today.” 

Sinner is bidding to defend a Grand Slam title for the first time after beating Daniil Medvedev in the final last year. 

His win put him into a clash against home hope De Minaur, who brushed past American Alex Michelsen 6-0, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 to make his maiden Australian Open quarterfinal. 

De Minaur wiped the floor with Michelsen in the opening set, but his serve then faltered and he was forced to a close tiebreak after the American staged a fightback. 

But De Minaur broke with a forehand winner in the sixth game of the third set and pulled away for the win. 

“It means the world,” said De Minaur. “There’s nothing I want to do more than play well here in Australia. So glad I finally made the quarterfinals ... But let’s go for bigger and better things.” 

As temperatures rose above 30 Celsius, Sinner assumed control against Rune by breaking to love.