MELBOURNE — Novak Djokovic and Serena Williams faced what were supposed to be their biggest challenges to date at this year's Australian Open on Tuesday but both rattled off comfortable victories to march into the semi-finals.
Australia Day fireworks were expected on court and off on day nine of the championships but Djokovic extinguished Kei Nishikori's flame 6-3 6-2 6-4 and Williams doused every spark of a threat from Maria Sharapova to win 6-4 6-1.
The defending champions face very different hurdles in the last four, however, with Djokovic moving on to face 17-times grand slam winner Roger Federer and Williams's path to a seventh final blocked by the slight figure of Agnieszka Radwanska.