Australian Open 2022: Felix Auger-Aliassime downs Marin Cilic to reach last eight, Alize Cornet knocks out Simona Halep

Felix Auger-Aliassime celebrates after defeating Marin Cilic in their fourth round match. AP

Melbourne, Australia: Ninth seed Felix Auger-Aliassime won a four-set battle with veteran Marin Cilic in searing heat to reach the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Monday.

Auger-Aliassime downed the Croatian 27th seed Cilic — who was Australian Open runner-up to Roger Federer in Melbourne in 2018 — 2-6, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) in 3hr 35min on John Cain Arena.

He joins Denis Shapovalov in the last eight to make it the first time two Canadian men have reached that stage at the Australian Open.

Auger-Aliassime will face either last year’s finalist and second seed Daniil Medvedev or American Maxime Cressy for a place in the semi-finals.

Cornet beats Halep

Alize Cornet survived a second-set meltdown to advance to her first Grand Slam quarter-final after 63 main-draw appearances with a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 win over Simona Halep.

Cornet led by a set and 3-1 before losing five consecutive games and 16 straight points to send the match to a decider.

Halep saved two match points on her serve in the ninth game before Cornet clinched the match in the 10th. She dropped to her knees and clasped her hands together as she looked up to her support team when Halep netted a return.

Cornet had a 3-1 lead in their head-to-head meetings and improved on that record in the Rod Laver Arena fourth-rounder.

Cornet made her Grand Slam singles debut as a wild-card entry at the 2005 French Open. She is the first French woman to reach an Australian Open quarterfinal since Marion Bartoli in 2009.

Halep won the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019. She lost the 2018 Australian Open final to Caroline Wozniacki.

Earlier, Danielle Collins took advantage of Elise Mertens’ double fault on match point to advance to the quarter-finals and join two other Americans in the final eight at Melbourne Park.

Collins advanced 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 and will play Cornet in the last eight.

Jessica Pergula and Madison Keys are the other Americans in the quarter-finals and will play their matches on Tuesday. It is the second year in a row that three Americans have featured in the quarter-finals.

With AP and AFP inputs

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