As play heads towards the second week of action in a tournament that has been one of the more unpredictable in some time, players sought a spot in the quarterfinals.

Djokovic Survives Scare

Novak Djokovic met veteran Gilles Simon in a round-of-16 match, and after a battle that was more competitive than anticipated, he would advance 6-3 6-7 6-4 4-6 6-3.

It was a competitive first set as the Frenchmen attempted to play defensively, keeping the ball deep and in play. It worked to his advantage often, but a late break opened the door for the world No. 1, and after a set filled with long rallies, he would take an early lead.

Simon would apply the same strategy in the second set, content to keep the ball in the center of the court and induce lengthy points. His counterpunching style forced Djokovic into some untimely unforced errors, visibly frustrating him. With neither player gaining the upper hand, the set went to a tiebreak.

Simon was not to be denied in the second-set tiebreak as his defensive tennis continued to frustrate the top seed, who bailed on a couple of points by choosing to hit low-percentage drop shots and sending untimely groundstrokes long. Meanwhile, Simon consistently turned the longer rallies in his favor.

After a tiebreak firmly in favor of Simon, Djokovic quickly seized the momentum in the third set with a service break. However, midway through the set, the Serb appeared to have heavy legs, and Simon fought back into the set. But with the 14th seed serving at 4-5, the 10-time major champion outdueled him to take the set.

As play moved into the fourth set, both players tightened up their service games, and play remained on serve. However, this time it was Simon gaining a late break and, in turn, following it up by serving out the set.

In the decisive fifth set, Djokovic came out fast and with a purpose and appeared to find his second wind. He would break Simon at 3-1 and consolidate it, appearing to finally wear him down. Seeing the finish line in sight, the top seed finally brought down a competitor who gave everything in this match but came up short.

Amazingly, Djokovic overcame 100 unforced errors to advance. He will face a hot Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals.

Nishikori Rolls into Quarterfinals

It was 7th-seeded Kei Nishikori facing 9th-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Hisense Arena. And after a solid effort, the Japanese rolled into the quarterfinals, 6-4 6-2 6-4.

In the first set, the pair battled from the baseline, trading winners with deep, aggressive strikes. But it was Nishikori who found success on Tsonga’s serve, gaining two breaks. Tsonga would fight back as the two engaged in a number of competitive points. But the Frenchman could not regain both lost service breaks, and Nishikori closed out the set on his serve.

Nishikori jumped out fast in the second set, breaking Tsonga twice. After he took a 4-1 lead, Tsonga left the court, taking a medical time out. But after the break, Nishikori picked up where he left off with precise baseline shots. He quickly gained a two-set lead.

The 2014 U. S. Open finalist broke early in the third set once more. He was stingy during his service games, holding throughout the set. He would lose just one service game in the match and closed out the match in impressive fashion.

The 26-year-old, who has received an enthusiastic reception in Melbourne, was poised throughout the three sets, and his deep groundstrokes did not allow Tsonga to approach the net and gain the advantage. With the victory, Nishikori advances to the quarterfinals of a major for the fourth time.

Sharapova Steamrolls to Quarters

It was a matchup between a veteran who has won five major titles against a player whom many predict will win some of her own as Maria Sharapova faced Belinda Bencic. And in their first career meeting, Sharapova advanced to the quarterfinals with a 7-5 7-5 win.

It took very little time before Sharapova put her game face on and attacked the Swiss serve, but the teen was able to fight it off and stay on serve early in the match. It appeared as though she was determined to show that she would not be intimidated and quickly turned the tables on the veteran, breaking to gain a 3-2 lead in the first set. It would begin a string of games when neither player could hold serve. But it was Sharapova who would break that streak and take advantage of a weakness in Bencic’s serve, taking the first set.

The No. 5 seed, playing with an edge, assaulted Bencic with a barrage of big groundstrokes throughout the match, rarely allowing the 18-year-old to play offensive tennis. Additionally, Sharapova found one of the best serving matches of her career. Despite looking overwhelmed by the power of the Russian, Bencic hung around in the second set. But with the Swiss serving at 5-6, Sharapova struck again, finding more winners as she closed out the match.

Sharapova would finish with 58 winners and a career high 21 aces, completely dictating play from the outset. She will advance to the quarterfinal once again.

Williams Dominates, Advances

Top-seeded Serena Williams met unseeded Margarita Gasparyan in Rod Laver Arena as she looked to set up a quarterfinal clash with Sharapova. She would easily advance 6-2 6-1.

After opening the match by dropping her serve, Serena recovered nicely as she found her rhythm and took the first set with ease. Williams would tee up Gasparyan’s second serve, taking quick control of those points. After the early success, there was little left for the Russian to build on as the American dominated play.

Williams would strike 19 winners in the match to just nine by Gasparyan. The victory sets up a highly anticipated match with Sharapova, who has not defeated her in her last 17 attempts.