Garbine Muguruza and Simona Halep on Monday both zoomed into the last eight of the Australian Open after overpowering their opponents in the fourth round.

Muguruza’s participation at the Australian Open had been in doubt due to illness.

But Monday’s demolition of Kiki Bertens to reach the quarter-finals proved she is not only nearing full health but could also be a genuine title contender.

The 26-year-old smashed ninth-seed Bertens 6-3 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena in a little over an hour to advance to her first quarter-final at Melbourne Park since 2017.

The victory followed a similar 6-1 6-2 thrashing of fifth seed Elina Svitolina in the third round and the unseeded Muguruza said she was beginning to feel more comfortable.

“Starting the Grand Slam not feeling great is not a good feeling,” she said of the viral illness that forced her out of a warm-up tournament in Hobart.

“(I’m) just adapting to every single day, how my body was, how my matches were.

“I feel like my body is getting healthier (and) I’m happy of how I’m dealing with this.”

Former French Open and Wimbledon champion Muguruza entered the tournament unseeded and was viewed as a dangerous floater.

Her lack of match play caught up with her, however, when she lost the opening set of her first-round clash with Shelby Rogers without winning a game.

But she battled back for a 0-6 6-1 6-0 victory.

She was also taken to three sets by Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic in the second round.

But since then she has hit top gear, her win on Monday showing how dangerous she could be coming through the bottom half of the draw.

The Spaniard broke Bertens five times in the match and proved she could still overpower the bigger hitters of the women’s game from the baseline.

“She’s physically very strong,” Muguruza said.

“I was expecting that it’s going to be a tough match because every time we played, it has been like this. I was ready for it (and) I played my game, aggressive game.

“Right away I felt it was working.”

Muguruza, who faces either Angelique Kerber or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the quarter-finals, acknowledged that completing the third leg of a career Grand Slam was still in the back of her mind.

“I feel like every player has this desire. If you can achieve it, for sure, to be able to win the whole four, it’s incredible,” she said.

Related News

“I don’t think about it all the time, but I do feel like, `okay, I don’t have 20 more Australian Opens to play’.

“Every time I come here, I’m … thinking `okay, how far can I go this year?’ ”

Halep had to be at her counter-punching best to fight off another determined second set comeback bid from Elise Mertens on Monday before the Romanian world number three advanced.

Halep, a beaten finalist at Melbourne Park two years ago, moved on with a 6-4 6-4 victory that sets up a meeting with Estonia’s 28th seed Anett Kontaveit in the last eight.

She had lost to Mertens in the Doha final last year when up a set and cruising in the second.

The Romanian conceded nerves crept into her game as the momentum shifted on Monday.

“Against her in Doha in the final, I was leading a set and 4-2 and lost the match. So, I knew I had to stay focused until the end,” the two-time Grand Slam champion said.

“To be honest I got a bit nervous at 4-3 (in the second).

“I had in my head she came back in that match, and I have just to pay attention on every ball, not giving up at all, because she can come back strong.”

Mertens blasted bags of winners but also made 38 unforced errors as Halep chased down every ball and made the Belgian work for every point.

The fourth seed’s confidence would have been boosted by the way she was able to raise her game on Monday as she battled the Belgian in lengthy rallies of high quality shot-making.

Halep managed to crack Mertens at crucial moments, breaking for the second time to go 5-4 up in the first set and then serving it out.

She jumped out to a double break 3-0 lead in the second but Mertens came storming back and leveled at 4-4 as a frustrated Halep remonstrated with her box.

The Romanian even whacked her racquet into the ground without breaking it.

That outburst seemed to help Halep as she put Mertens under intense pressure in the 11-minute ninth game.

She took it at her fifth break point opportunity, and then sealed the win on her next service game.

“Mentally I think I did a great job today at four-all with those breakpoints, game points,” Halep said.

“In the end, I got the game and then I served very well the last game.

“I feel like I played a better match than all the matches since I’m here.”(Reuters/NAN)