Day 8 Results of the 2015 Australian Open

The 2015 Australian Open hasn't exactly been predictable to this point. After all, we witnessed the early departures of top stars like Roger Federer, Ana Ivanovic, John Isner and Petra Kvitova before the round of 16 began. As it turned out, Day 8 would be no exception. While the majority of favorites emerged victorious, several were heavily tested. No. 1 Serena Williams was forced to fight her way back after dropping the first set to Garbine Muguruza, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka needed an impressive tiebreak to take down Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and No. 8 Milos Raonic was pushed to the brink by No. 12 Feliciano Lopez.
After all of that,the big news of the day is that American Venus Williams forged the lone upset of the day, taking down No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska in three sets to advance to the quarterfinal along with her sister for the first time since 2010.
A thrilling Day 8 only paves the way to what is poised to be an epic Day 9, as four compelling showdowns comprise a captivating slate. Before the action begins once again, here's a glance back at the Day 8 results and a look ahead to Day 9.

Day 8 Scores

2015 Australian Open Day 8 Results

Men's Singles	Score
No. 8 Milos Raonic def. No. 12 Feliciano Lopez	6-4, 4-6, 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-3
No. 4 Stan Wawrinka def. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez	7-6(2), 6-4, 4-6, 7-6(8)
No. 5 Kei Nishikori def. No. 9 David Ferrer	6-3, 6-3, 6-3
No. 1 Novak Djokovic def. Gilles Muller	6-4, 7-5, 7-5
Women's Singles	Score
No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova def. Victoria Azarenka	6-2, 3-6, 6-3
No. 1 Serena Williams def. No. 24 Gabrine Muguruza	2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Madison Keys def. Madison Brengle	6-2, 6-4
No. 18 Venus Williams def. No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska	6-3, 2-6, 6-1

ausopen.com

DAY 9 PREVIEW 

(7) Tomas Berdych vs (3) Rafael Nadal

 Following a bit of a scare in Round 2, Nadal has been lights-out, winning his next two matches in consecutive sets. The Spaniard has been extremely efficient of late, as a combination of accurate serves, aggressiveness and limited errors have translated to victories.
Nadal's round of 16 win over Kevin Anderson combined all of these elements. He won 78 percent of his first-serve points, an impressive 16 of his 18 net points and hung tough, winning four of his six break points while accumulating 25 unforced errors.
The No. 3 seed's ability to adapt to his opponent is the biggest reason for his success. After a sluggish start in the return game against Anderson, Nadal was able to figure out his opponent's serve and finish the match winning 33 percent of his receiving points.
Nadal will need to continue that trend if he is to take down the red-hot Berdych on Day 9.
The Czech has been on fire in Melbourne, winning in straight sets in each of his four matches. A hard-hitting, aggressive player, Berdych flourishes by applying constant pressure and wearing down his opponent throughout the match. That was exactly the case when he defeated Bernard Tomic in Round 4.
 Berdych's stellar serve was well on display, as he tallied 17 aces and won 85 percent of his first-serve points. Adding to his fierce playing style is his ability to approach the net with authority. He picked his spots well against Tomic, and winning 13 of his 15 net points was the end result.
While Berdych has been playing very well, he simply hasn't been able to keep up with the smart play of Nadal in recent years. In fact, the Spaniard has won every meeting since they faced off in Madrid back in 2006. Expect Berdych to give Nadal a run for his money, but the versatility of the No. 3 seed could prevail.

This promises to be one of the games of the tournament.