The day began with two Americans taking on two Romanians.
On Rod Laver arena, it was world No1 Simona Halep, eager to keep her hands on that top spot, and she would fight like a terrier to do so against Lauren Davis, one of the few women significantly shorter than the 5ft6in Halep.
The 24-year-old Davis, ranked 76, is just 5ft2in, but has the movement, quicksilver footwork and work ethic the equal of anyone. Her idol? Rafael Nadal, “because he fights, no matter what.”
On Margaret Court, it was No17 seed and US Open runner-up, Madison Keys against 25-year-old Ana Bogdan, ranked 104. Yes, they would both start at the allotted 11am but by the time Keys had swept aside one Romanian in 73 minutes, Davis and Halep were not even half done.
On paper, Davis’s meeting with Halep was a mountain to climb. She had lost their only previous meeting, almost five years ago, at Indian Wells 6-2, 6-0, and she had already won two three-setters this week, while Halep had looked comfortable without dropping a set. But Kerber lost her first against Davis, 6-4, in what would become one of the thrillers of the tournament.
The feisty and indefatigable Halep levelled, 6-4, and then the dramatic third set ensured this match would stay in the memory banks when 2018’s bid for the match of the year comes around.
Four times in her last six appearances, Halep had lost in the first round in Melbourne, and she was clearly determined this would not happen again, even when she lost a 3-1 lead in the decider. Davis fought, the crowd roared, and the rallies cranked up as Davis went for her shots—she would strike 52 winners to 27 from Halep.
By the time it reached 11-11, Davis began to look distressed, not least after failing to convert three match-points at 0-40. She pounded a return on the first and missed the baseline by a fraction: She would not get a better chance, especially as she seemed to be suffering from cramp. But it was not cramp—she had lost a toe-nail, and a speedy repair was enough to carry her through another half dozen games.
But Halep was not for turning, and finally broke the defences of the American for 15-13, after three and three-quarter hours.
Still Halep’s duties were not done: It is the practice at the Australian Open for winners to perform and on-court interview, even though she pronounced herself “almost dead” with her effort.
She later added: “I gave everything I had today, and actually, I’m really proud that I could stay there and win. It was not easy at all. She played great.”
Proud was appropriate: this was the first time Halep had saved three match-points on her way to victory, and the match took the two women and their 48 games into the record books as the third-longest in the tournament’s Open history.
Halep will next play another unseeded woman with an aggressive game, the fast improving Naomi Osaka. The fast-improving 20-year-old Japanese beat many Australians’ hope for future home champion, Ashleigh Barty, 6-4, 6-2.
Keys set a third meeting with the No8 seed Caroline Garcia, one of the form players at the end of 2017. They have split their previous meetings, but this time, both are close to their best in what could be a classy and close contest for a quarter-final place.
Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated match of the day was saved for the main stage in the headline slot: the first evening match. It featured the only two Major champions left in the women’s draw, both former Australian Open champions, and both currently ranked significantly below the No1 ranking that each has reached.
Maria Sharapova was always going to be a dangerous unseeded floater, and it was Kerber, down at 21 after a tough, confidence-sapping 2017, who drew the short straw.
But the German, who lost in the fourth round in Melbourne as the top seed last year, was showing a return to her old self when she arrived this week. She dropped not a match at the Hopman Cup in Perth, and went on to win the Sydney title over some considerable opposition. And she had barely broken sweat, it seemed, to reach the third round.
Not that Sharapova had dropped a set, even in taking out No14 seed Anastasija Sevastova, but she was quickly stunned by the attacking tactics and some remarkable defence from Kerber.
The German broke straight away, and Sharapova only just survived a break in the third game, too. However, the could not hold off Kerber come the fifth game, 1-4, and the German surged on to break to love, 6-1, in under half an hour.
The second set began in the same way, a quick break and 2-0, but Kerber’s serving level slipped just a fraction, Sharapova got herself into more points, and a quick break back put some strut into her walk.
It then stayed on serve, with Sharapova looking marginally the stronger by the seventh game, but she could not convert a break chance, and then buckled under the pressure in the eighth to net a drop shot and then a forehand, and concede the break, 3-5.
Kerber needed no invitation: She sealed the win with her big leftie serve, 6-3, in an impressive 64 minutes, having dropped just four points on 29 first serves. Sharapova, for her part, made too many errors, 26 in the 91 points played.
Kerber afterwards talked about that fine serving, which was one of the focal points of her off season with new coach Wim Fissette:
“I was telling him that I would like to improve my serve because I know that I can still improve it. I served a lot of balls during the last few week but now I’m feeling much better, feeling much safer with more control.
“I know that I can always trust my legs, that I can run forever, that I can bring a lot of balls back. But I wanted also to improve my game, to be more aggressive, taking the ball in my hands.”
Kerber is now 12-0 for the season, and carving a good case for reaching the final weekend where her Major-winning career began two years ago. And what began as a tough draw has now opened up, not just with the dispatch of Sharapova but of the other seeds in this eighth.
Much later, on the same Rod Laver court, the 32-year-old world No88, Hsieh Su-wei, beat No26 seed Agnieszka Radwanska, 6-2, 7-5, to reach the second week in Melbourne for the first time since 2008. And that one fourth-round finish was her best thus far in the 27 main-draw Majors she has played in 16 years. But while the slight veteran from Chinese Taipei has had plenty of success in doubles, it is hard to see her tactical touch and guile withstanding Kerber.
In Halep’s quarter, No6 Karolina Pliskova has yet to lose a set after beating No29 seed Lucie Safarova. It keeps alive her campaign to reclaim the No1 ranking, though she has to win the title to do so.
Pliskova next plays No20 seed, yet another Czech, Barbora Strycova, who beat lucky loser Bernarda Pera, 6-2, 6-2, in 68 minutes.