The Last Time Carla Suárez Navarro made a Grand Slam quarterfinal
2016 - It is easy to forget that the Spaniard is only 29 as she has been on the tour in excess of 10 years. Her Grand Slam results have been fading since her fall outside the top 10, with her last appearance in the final eight of a major being at Australian Open 2016. That year she would run into a red hot Agnieszka Radwanska and fall in straight sets. Suárez Navarro has the chance to return to the quarterfinals on Day 7 when she takes on Estonian Anett Kontaveit first up at Rod Laver Arena.
The Last Time Caroline Wozniacki made the quarterfinals in Melbourne
2012 - The Dane has enjoyed somewhat of a renaissance over the past year, climbing back inside the top two and even winning the WTA Finals in October. She will be looking to tick another box off her list on Day 7 as she meets 19th seed Magdalena Rybáriková for a place in the Australian Open quarterfinals. If Wozniacki progresses it will be the first time since 2012 that she will reach the final eight at Melbourne Park. That year she was the world No.1 but fell victim to a Kim Clijsters masterclass. The Dane will be desperate to get back to the quarters and contend for the maiden Grand Slam title that has so far eluded her.
The Last Time Rafael Nadal lost in the fourth round of the Australian Open
2005 - The Spaniard has not lost in the fourth round at Melbourne Park since before he broke through for his first Grand Slam title. Back in 2005, the then 18-year-old was already starting to turn heads and being touted as a future champion. He faced off against Australian legend Lleyton Hewitt in the round of 16 after taking a two sets to one lead, it looked like the Spaniard would emerge victorious. But Hewitt managed to fight back and claim one of his most famous wins en route to the final where he eventually lost to Marat Safin. Nadal went on to win the first of his 10 Roland Garros titles that year so it’s safe to say he moved on from the defeat. He will take on Argentine Diego Schwartzman on Day 7 as he bids to keep his fourth round winning streak alive.
The Last Time three unseeded women made the quarterfinals of the Australian Open
2010 - Everyone knew that this Australian Open was going to be one of the most even women’s draws in history. So much so that three unseeded women could reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2010. That year it was former world No.1 Justine Henin, who was given a wildcard in her comeback from retirement, Russian Maria Kirilenko and China’s Zheng Jie who reached the final eight. Henin and Zheng would meet in the semifinals, with the Belgian emerging victorious for the loss of just one game before falling to Serena Williams in the final. Four unseeded players play on Day 7, with Petra Martic and Elise Mertens squaring off, qualifier Denisa Allertova to face fourth seed Elina Svitolina and Carla Suarez Navarro up against 32nd seed Anett Kontaveit. Two more unseeded players will take to the court on Day 8 with Naomi Osaka and Su-Wei Hsieh also still in the draw.
The Last Time two Australians won the men’s doubles
1997 - With Lleyton Hewitt and Sam Groth’s win over third seeds Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau on Day 6 the fairy tale dream remains alive. The draw has opened up for the Australians to make a deep run at Melbourne Park, as they aim to become the first home grown partners to take the Australian Open title since Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1997. That year the Woodies defeated the Canadian-American partnership of Sebastien Lareau and Alex O’Brien in four sets to take their second Australian Open crown as a pair. Hewitt and Groth will be looking do emulate them when they face the all-Spanish team of Albert Ramos-Vinolas and Pablo Andujar on Day 7.
The Last Time Marin Cilic reached the final eight at Melbourne Park
2010 - The 2014 US Open champion has had an unbelievable career, being one of a very few to break through the dominance of the ‘Big 4’ and win a Grand Slam title. However we have to trek all the way back to 2010 to find his last deep run at Melbourne Park, where he reached the semifinals before falling to Andy Murray in a tight four set encounter. Since then, the Croatian has only advanced beyond the third round once at the Australian Open, and will be striving to return to the quarters when he takes on Pablo Carreno Busta on Day 7.
The Last Time an Italian made a Grand Slam quarterfinal
2011 - Andreas Seppi will have to defy his poor fourth round record in Grand Slams to reach his first major quarterfinal. He has made the round of 16 on five previous occasions and been defeated in all of them, twice after holding a two-set lead. The last Italian to reach the final eight of a Grand Slam is Fabio Fognini, who is coincidently still also in the draw. He reached the quarters at the French Open in 2011 before injury forced him to withdraw against Novak Djokovic. Seppi will take on Kyle Edmund on Day 7 while Fognini will meet Tomas Berdych on Day 8.
The Last time a female qualifier made the final eight at the Australian Open
2016 - For those wondering when this last happened, we don’t have to trek back very far, with Zhang Shuai’s magical run two years ago the most recent time a qualifier has ventured to the final eight in Melbourne. That year she stunned the likes of Simona Halep, Madison Keys and Alize Cornet en route. Zhang would fall to Johanna Konta in straight sets in the quarters. Czech qualifier Denisa Allertova has a chance to emulate her Chinese counterpart when she takes on fourth seed Elina Svitolina on Day 7.