Quarters Set in Melbourne as Cibulkova Knocks Off Third-Seeded Sharapova

The quarterfinals are set in Melbourne and the upsets continued at the Australian Open, as the number 20 seed Dominika Cibulkova was a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 upset winner over the number three seed, Maria Sharapova. After dropping the first set, Cibulkova took a commanding 5-0 lead in the second set, eventually closing out the set, 6-4, and taking the final set, 61.

“Obviously it feels great, and I played well and it was a tough match,” said Cibulkova. “I don't want to say I can't believe that I won, but I'm just really happy about everything.

Cibulkova is now through to her first Australian Open Her best result was the semifinals of the French Open in 2009 where she also beat Sharapova in the quarters before falling to Dinara Safina.

And in the quarterfinals, Cibulkova will face the number 11 seed, Simona Halep, who defeated Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 2-6, 6-0. With the win, Halep becomes the first Romanian to reach a Grand Slam quarterfinal since Sorana Cirstea at the French Open in 2009, and the first Romanian to reach the Aussie Open quarters since Irina Spirlea in 1998.

"She played really well in the second set," Halep said. "I was a little bit tired after the first set—my energy was very down, but I was ready to play the third set. I was just telling myself I had nothing to lose—it was my chance to fight for every point and for the match, and for my dream. It was my dream before starting this year to play the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam."

Cibulkova leads Halep in their head-to-head, 2-1, their last match was a close win for Cibulkova at Indian Wells in 2013.

Also advancing to the quarters was Agnieszka Radwanska, a straight set winner over Garbiñe Muguruza 6-1, 6-3. It’s Radwanska's fourth consecutive trip to the final eight in Melbourne, as she will face the second seeded Victoria Azarenka for a trip to the semis. Azarenka was a winner over the 13th-seed, American Sloane Stephens, 6-3, 6-2.

"I think I have to play even better than today to beat her," Radwanska said of her next round match against Azarenka. "Obviously, she's playing great tennis, especially here, and is defending champion. I think I have nothing to lose. Hopefully I can really play my best tennis and I will fight."

"I'm happy with the way I played," Azarenka said. "We were very competitive. I know Sloane is a great player, a very tough fighter, and she was holding serve really well. I felt like I had a few chances but she came back strong, so it was important to stay in that zone and try to create another opportunity.”

Ana Ivanovic will face Eugenie Bouchard in another quarterfinals match, while the fourth-seeded Na Li of China will face Flavia Pennetta of Italy. The 28th-seeded Pennetta upset the number nine seed, Angelique Kerber, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5 to reach her first Australian Open quarterfinal.

“It's always nice to be in the quarterfinal in Grand Slam,” said Pennetta. “It's the first time for me, and I really enjoy playing here.”