- Updates from the first day of quarter-finals at Melbourne Park
- Ash Barty plays a team game in singular pursuit of home glory
- Any thoughts? Email or tweet @mike_hytner
First set: Grigor Dimitrov 2-2 Aslan Karatsev* (denotes server) Ah, but Karatsev cannot hold that lead for long as some loose play allows Dimitrov to take advantage and break back straight away. Nerves? Maybe. Another Karatstat: the Russian also possesses the fastest backhand in the tournament so far - his average is 122.3km/h, again faster even than Rafa Nadal, who is third again, behind Alex Zverev in second.
First set: Grigor Dimitrov* 1-2 Aslan Karatsev (denotes server) How about this then? Karatsev makes an early breakthrough as Dimitrov falters on his serve. A double fault doesn’t help him; neither does a couple of unforced errors by the Bulgarian; nor some powerful Karatsev forehands. Stat attack: Karatsev is ranked No 1 in terms of forehand speed so far this tournament. He’s clocking an average speed of 132.8km/h - faster than even Rafael Nadal, who is third on the list behind Andrey Rublev in second.
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