MELBOURNE, Australia — Fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber was ousted in the fourth round of the Australian Open by the woman who defeated Serena Williams at the same stage last year.
No. 19-seeded Ekaterina Makarova had a 7-5, 6-4 win in the opening match today on Rod Laver Arena, taking out the highest seed to tumble so far at the season’s first major.
Makarova beat Williams in the fourth round in 2012 at Melbourne Park and went on to reach the quarterfinals, which remains her best result at a Grand Slam.
The 24-year-old Makarova could meet fellow Russian, No. 2-ranked Maria Sharapova, in the quarterfinals, at the same stage they met last year. Sharapova could advance by beating playing Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens later in the fourth round.
In the first men’s match today, fourth-seeded David Ferrer had a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win over No. 16 Kei Nishikori of Japan to reach the quarterfinals, where he could meet fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro.
If Almagro beats No. 8 Janko Tipsaveric in a later match, it would set up the first all-Spanish quarterfinal at the Australian Open since 2011, when Ferrer ended Rafael Nadal’s bid for a sequence of four consecutive major titles.
No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic, who has the past two Australian titles, had a night match against No. 15 Stanislas Wawrinka.
Earlier No. 2-ranked Roger Federer knocked Bernard Tomic out of the tournament in straight sets.
Federer, who earned his 250th win at a Grand Slam event, will face Canadian Milos Raonic, who had 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-4 win over Germany’s Philipp Kohlschreiber.