Fernando Verdasco's inspired run continued on Wednesday as he defeated 2008 runner-up Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open.
Russia's Elena Dementieva battled her way through brutal conditions to beat unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-2 6-2 in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open.
Both players struggled in the scorching heat as the temperature approached 40 degrees Celsius but it was the more experienced Dementieva who coped best.
The world number four won the first four games to run away with the opening set, then raced to a 5-1 lead in the second to wrap up victory in 93 minutes.
"It was very tough to play because of the weather conditions," Dementieva said.
"Maybe it looked easy but I think for such a score like 6-2 6-2, we played one and a half hours, which is a pretty long match.
"She is very strong physically, a very fit player. Playing for the first time, I didn't know what to expect from her."
Despite the lopsided scoreline, Dementieva did not have it all her own way against the Spanish baseliner, who enhanced her reputation as one of the rising stars of women's tennis by reaching her second Grand Slam quarter-final in only four tournaments.
Dementieva served 10 double-faults and had to fight off 10 break points on her own serve, twice as many as Suarez Navarro offered up.
"I had a lot of break points but I couldn't take them," the Spaniard said.
Dementieva has never won a Grand Slam singles title but has been in great form over the last 12 months, winning the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics and making the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the US Open. (source : eurosport.co.uk)
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