TENNIS in DEPTH.

China’s Li Na upset fourth seed and US Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki to reach the Australian Open last eight.

Li, the 16th seed, repeated her win over the Dane in Sydney earlier this month with a 6-4 6-3 victory.

She goes on to face Venus Williams in the quarter-finals after the American battled past Francesca Schiavone 3-6 6-2 6-1, despite an uneven performance.

Top seed and defending champion Serena Williams plays Australian Sam Stosur later on Monday.

Li was down a service break at 4-2 in the opening set against Wozniacki but then took control with six games in a row.

Wozniacki called for the trainer after the fourth game of the second set, receiving treatment on her right thigh and returning to the court with it bandaged.

Neither woman was able to dominate on their own serve and seven successive breaks left Li in position to serve out the match.

The 27-year-old joins countrywoman Zheng Jie in the last eight, and it is the first time two Chinese players have ever reached that stage of a Grand Slam.

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The 27-year-old Justine Henin is less than a month into her return after ending her 20-month retirement but is in sight of an eighth grand slam title after defeating her fellow Belgian Yanina Wickmayer 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3.

The wildcard entry again had to call on her feted battling qualities as Wickmayer, the world No 16, raced through the second set to take the match into a decider.

Henin steadied, however, and produced some memorable winners to rebuke Wickmayer’s resolute challenge.

“It wasn’t easy. She played a great match,” Henin said. “She was very aggressive and took her chances.

“Physically it was not easy for me. I missed two years so that’s why I loved being n the court now. It’s a great feeling to be back. Everything is going so well.”

Henin will next meet 19th seed Nadia Petrova, who she beat in her first match back from retirement in Brisbane at the start of the month.

Henin clinched a closely-fought first set on the tie-break when she came from 2-3 behind in the decider to reel off the next five points.

Wickmayer is one of the rising stars of women’s tennis and showed her mental strength to fight back.

The 20-year-old has had a tough time just to be in the main draw after she had a drugs ban lifted in time to allow her to qualify, and showed she was not prepared to lie down as she levelled the match by racing through the second set in 29 minutes.

The momentum looked to be with Wickmayer, but Henin wrested it back with some punishing winners.

There was a moment of concern when Henin slipped in the third set after having already grabbed a break.

But she shook off the concern, immediately crunching a cross-court forehand winner, before wrapping up the match with a rare volley.

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Andy Roddick outlasted a strong challenge from Fernando Gonzalez to book a quarter-final clash with Croatia’s Marin Cilic.

The American came from two sets to one down to win the fourth-round match 6-3 3-6 4-6 7-5 6-2 in three hours and 25 minutes at Rod Laver Arena on Sunday night.

Gonzalez looked to be in control of the match early in the fourth set, and created a break point chance in the third game. However, Roddick managed to hold the service game, and as the set continued the Chilean tired significantly, and the American never looked back.

Roddick’s service game was incredibly consistent throughout the match, as he delivered a remarkable 32 aces and no double faults. Gonzalez on the other hand hit 83 winners, but produced 49 unforced errors to Roddick’s 17.

Early aces from the world No. 7 saw him looking the stronger player in the first set, and though Gonzalez hit some superb winners, a costly double fault in the sixth game helped the American break serve to 4-2 – a lead which he consolidated to take the set 6-3.

Gonzalez struck back hard in the second set as he made 17 winners to Roddick’s 10. He eventually broke the American’s serve in an epic 30-shot rally at the end of the sixth game to take a 4-2 lead. Assisted by vocal support from a large Chilean contingent at the Rod Laver Arena, he took the set 6-3.

In the third set, 11th-seeded Gonzalez only improved as Roddick’s frustration grew. The Chilean looked to have an edge over the American, and took the set 6-4, blasting an impressive 23 winners, many of which came from his preferred forehand.

Roddick’s crucial hold early in the fourth set would be the turning point in the match. Having saved the break points in that game, he challenged Gonzalez’s serve at 5-4, but the Chilean managed to save four set points.

Two games later, it was a different story, as Roddick came from 0-40 down to take the game and the set. The set point came in dramatic circumstances as Roddick challenged a line judge that had called a forehand winner out. The challenge showed the ball was in, and Roddick took the set and plenty of momentum into the decider.

Roddick broke early in the fifth, and as the Chilean’s fatigue continued to affect his game, the American controlled the set and claimed it 6-2.

The victory was Roddick’s ninth in 12 meetings with Gonzalez, though it marked the first time the pair had reached five sets.

After the match, Roddick admitted he was fortunate to go through.

“I was lucky to get out of that. Sometimes if you fight and stick around you give yourself a shot – and that’s what happened,” he said.

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Maria Kirilenko has advanced to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open after 2009 finalist Dinara Safina retired in the first set of their fourth-round match with an apparent leg or back injury.

No. 2 Safina was facing set point, trailing 4-5 and serving at 30-40, when she limped to her changeover chair for a few moments, then walked up and shook Kirilenko’s hand.

Safina lost in straight sets to Serena Williams last year in the final.

Kirilenko, who beat another Russian, 2008 champion Maria Sharapova, in the first round, will play Zheng Jie in the quarterfinals.

Zheng advanced earlier Sunday, becoming the first Chinese player to reach the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park with a 7-6 (6), 6-4 victory over Alona Bondarenko.

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Russian Nadia Petrova gained her second consecutive monumental victory at the Australian Open, this time knocking off third-seeded countrywoman Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 to reach the quarterfinals.

The 19th-seeded Petrova is into the round-of-eight for the second time in Melbourne, also doing so in 2006. This was just the second career victory against Kuznetsova (2-5).

On Friday, Petrova dealt Belgian Kim Clijsters her worst career defeat in 6-0, 6-1 fashion in under an hour.

“Today was similar. I felt like my motivation, my concentration was on the same level,” Petrova said. “But today there were a little more unforced errors than against Kim. But I fought hard. I chased every single ball possible. You know, I end up winning it.”

Sunday’s victory over Kuznetsova was more conventional in over two hours. Kuznetsova was hurt by making 52 unforced errors. Kuznetsova, the reigning French Open champ and the 2004 U.S. Open winner, has never made it past the quarterfinals in Melbourne.

“I think she played a good third set,” Kuznetsova admitted. “But I still gave it to her.”

Also reaching the quarterfinals was China’s Zheng Jie, who upended 31st seed Alona Bondarenko of the Ukraine, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4. This is the best result for Zheng in Melbourne. Her career best showing in a Grand Slam was a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon in 2008.

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Juan Martin del Potro and Marin Cilic. Both are 198cm tall, while the Argentine is one kilogram heavier than the Croatian. They were even born just five days apart in 1988. As such, it was fitting that they should be split by so little in their tennis, with Cilic edging out the more favoured Argentine over five tough sets, 5-7 6-4 7-5 5-7 6-3, to advance to the quarter-finals.

Del Potro, the reigning US Open champion and the No.4 seed here, has been hyped as the man leading the challenge against Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal’s dominance over the men’s game. Rumours of a wrist injury had dampened some expectations, but he still loomed as a genuine contender at this year’s Australian Open.

Enter the towering 14th-seeded Cilic. Having won his second consecutive Chennai Open, Cilic began 2010 in strong form. In progressing this far, he had fought through a five-set, late-night thriller against Australian teenager Bernard Tomic, then impressively knocked out the highly-rated Stanislas Wawrinka. Despite all this, it seemed that del Potro had the weapons and movement to push deep into the second week.

The opening set saw each man struggle to make any inroads into the other’s serve. When del Potro did finally land the decisive break, it was with some assistance – a Cilic double fault. Shortly afterwards, del Potro closed the set with an ace, seemingly with plenty in the tank.

After the early stages of the second set progressed in a similar vein, a number of del Potro errors in quick succession handed Cilic set points, which were gleefully accepted. Increasing his approaches to the net, the Croat was able to take the game up to his more-fancied opponent, and he levelled at one set-all.

Cilic had begun to look the more dangerous of two, with the Argentine appearing sluggish in his movement. Calling a medical timeout after losing the second set, del Potro received treatment on a foot injury rather than his much-talked-about wrist.

The Croatian continued his dominance at the net, a sensational drop volley giving him set points after del Potro became aggravated at repeated crowd interruptions. Cilic duly converted to take an epic 86-minute third set, and the possibility of a boilover appeared increasingly likely.

Even when not at his best, del Potro remains an outstanding ball striker, and in the 11th game of the fourth set was able to break Cilic to love. His forehand began to find its range, and as he sent the match to a fifth and final set, momentum seemed to shift in favour of the now fired-up Argentine.

With both players having endured five-set matches already in the tournament, fatigue had now well and truly set in. The contest was reduced to a slugfest, with Cilic making just eight of his 67 net approaches for the match in the final set. A wayward del Potro forehand gave Cilic the crucial break, before he saved break points of his own with an ace. Another long del Potro forehand gave Cilic a well-earned victory over four hours and 38 minutes.

Cilic’s work at the net and 21 more winners became the difference between a second successive Grand Slam quarter-final appearance and an early flight home, while del Potro, who came to Melbourne with great expectations, will leave outplayed and out-thought.

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Day 7 at the 2010 Aussie Open might be remembered as the day of upsets that became the defining moment for many players.  There are 8 matches scheduled to be played, and none of them are easily predictable. Perhaps the easiest to predict will be the meeting between Ukranian Alona Bondarenko and Jie Zheng. I happen to believe that from her performance in winning last week in Hobart and the devastating way in which she destroyed Jankovic, Bondarenko is the best player in the tournament, and the probable finalist from the bottom half of the draw!

The other 3 Women’s matches are too close to call. I won’t be surprised if Wickmayer outlasts Henin, or if Petrova upsets fellow Russian Kuznetsova. but I think Safina may prove to be too experienced for Maria Kirilenko.

On the men’s side Nadal will have to find a way to break the serve of Karlovic or else he will be sitting on the sidelines, the same goes for Andy Murray against Isner, but Murray is a better returner of the ball than Nadal and should contain the big American. Andy Roddick will have to elevate his game to defeat Gonzalez, if this one goes to five sets then Fernando could be the eventual winner. The two big young guns, Cilic and Del Potro is a toss up. On paper Del Potro looks like an easy winner, but unless he shows more than he has in earlier matches he could easily go down to defeat.

All in all Sunday might be the most interesting day so far!

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Lleyton Hewitt will face Roger Federer in the fourth round after his third-round opponent Marcos Baghdatis retired with a shoulder injury in the second set on Saturday.

Hewitt was leading 6-0, 4-2 when Baghdatis walked to the net to concede the match and give Hewitt an early passage into the round of 16.

It was an anti-climatic end to the match after Hewitt, who lost to Marat Safin here in the 2005 final, had broken Baghdatis’s service four times to control the match on Rod Laver Arena.

Baghdatis was treated for a right shoulder injury at the changeover after dropping the opening set to love and was seen taking two painkilling tablets.

But once he was broken in the sixth game of the second set he decided he could not continue and retired.

Baghdatis said afterwards: “I just feel some pain in the shoulder. In the match I just couldn’t hit the forehand, I couldn’t control the ball.”

He added that he had been aware of a niggle prior to the game, but did not think the pain would be so severe, saying: “I wasn’t thinking about it, I had a bit of pain but nothing unusual. I didn’t think it would be this painful and this bothering during the match.”

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