New Zealand's top ranked doubles tennis player Michael Venus and his South African partner Raven Klaasen have stormed into the quarter finals at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
Michael Venus and Raven Klaasen. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The 6th seeds have thumped the Brazilian/Danish duo of Marcelo Demoliner and Frederik Nielsen 6-3 6-1 in just over 1 hour.
Venus and Klaasen got off to the perfect start with a break of serve in the opening game and served strongly throughout. They broke serve again in the 9th game to close out the set in 37 minutes, converting two of the three break points against them.
Last year's Wimbledon finalists continued with the momentum in the second set with an early break of serve and they broke Nielsen again in the 4th game to race to a 4-0 lead.
Venus then held serve and although Nielsen held to get on the board in the second set, Klaasen easily served out the match to complete an impressive win and a place in the quarter finals.
Venus and Klaasen didn't face a break point against their serve in the entire match.
They will face the unseeded Argentine/Chilean combination of Leonardo Mayer and Joao Sousa for a place in the semi-finals.
Venus and Klaasen beat the South American pair in five sets en route to the Wimbledon final last year.
Nadal blows away Berdych
In the men's draw, Rafa Nadal routed Tomas Berdych 6-0 6-1 7-6(4) in a centre court masterclass to charge into the quarter-finals.
Bidding for an 18th Grand Slam title, second seed Nadal will play unseeded American Frances Tiafoe for a place in the semi-finals.
Second seed bows out
Second seed and former champion Angelique Kerber has been beaten in the fourth round of the Australian Open.
The 2016 champion was beaten in straight sets by Danielle Collins of the United States.
Joining Collins in the quarter-finals are Australian Ashley Barty and Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic.
Barty rallied from a set down to beat former world number one Maria Sharapova 4-6 6-1 6-4, becoming the first Australian woman in a decade to reach the quarter-finals at her home Grand Slam.
The 15th seed will meet twice Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova after the eighth seed thrashed American teenager Amanda Anisimova 6-2 6-1 earlier in the day.
- RNZ/REUTERS/AAP