The opening Grand Slam of 2015 has already seen multiple massive upsets, but Day 8 was a clinical one for the top seeds. Both No. 1 seeds Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams advanced, but will Day 9 see some of the favorites get knocked off?
In the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, three matchups feature top-10 players facing off. The lone singles match pitting a seeded opponent against an unranked player puts the spotlight firmly on Nick Kyrgios of Australia.
Before the quarters get underway, here's a look at the full singles schedule and matchup predictions.
Kyrgios Shocks the World ... Again
The hometown boy has a fiery personality but the skill to back it up. After a stunning come-from-behind victory over Andreas Seppi from two sets down, Kyrgios now gets a shot at a Big Four player in Andy Murray.
His British opponent comes in after a huge win of his own over Grigor Dimitrov and seeded at No. 6. But Kyrgios has proved he's ready for this stage before by downing formerly No. 1 Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon in 2014.
This time around, he'll have the stadium behind him, as evidenced by this Vine from the Aussie Open's official account:
At just 19 years old, Kyrgios is in his second quarterfinal having never reached the semifinals. He will face an experienced adversary in his own right, but Kyrgios' high-energy game will prove to be too much for Murray.
Eugenie Bouchard Proves She's a True Contender
Call me crazy—which I'm sure plenty will—but Eugenie Bouchard has the look of an eventual champion. With several top-seeded players losing early in her side of the bracket, the young Canadian can pull off an upset of her own over No. 2 Maria Sharapova.
Bouchard hasn't truly been tested to this point, dropping her first set of the tournament in the fourth round. Meanwhile, Sharapova has torched two straight ranked players and hasn't lost more than three games in either.
But the youth movement in Canada will take center stage in the next several days. Both Bouchard and Milos Raonic are through to the quarters with decisive wins, as Caroline Cameron of Sportsnet notes:
She may only be 20 years old, but Bouchard has the calmness of a veteran on the court. If she can find ways to break Sharapova, Bouchard will be through to the semifinals for a second straight year and in search of her second final appearance in a Grand Slam.
Rafael Nadal Breezes Through Tomas Berdych
Tomas Berdych comes into the quarterfinals with his confidence soaring after not dropping a single set to this point. That includes no ranked players to this point before facing a player that has thoroughly dominated him during their careers.
In his first four matches against Nadal, Berdych was 3-1 with two wins coming in straight sets. Since that point, Nadal has won 17 straight with 11 coming on a hard court.
Despite that success against the No. 7 player, Nadal still praised Berdych's talent level, via Pa Reporter of the Daily Mail:
It doesn't matter what happened in the past. It is a different story this time. Different moment for me, different moment for him. The way we arrive to that match is not going to affect what happens in the match. I'm sure of that.
He's a great player. I have success against him, but I have the chances to lose against him. I remember in 2012 I had a very, very tough match against him here (in the quarter-finals). I was close to being two sets to love down. He's a player that is top level.
Since nearly dropping out in the second round, Nadal has returned to old form to get back to this point. Going against a player whom he has blistered throughout his career, fans should still expect another easy win for Nadal in the quarters.
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