Li into Aussie quarters as Nishikori falls

MELBOURNE: China's Li Na swept impressively into the Australian Open quarter-finals Sunday as she targets her second Grand Slam title, while Japan's Kei Nishikori met his match in David Ferrer.
Li, who became Asia's first Grand Slam champion at the 2011 French Open, showed her pedigree as she took apart Germany's 18th seed Julia Goerges 7-6 (8/6), 6-1 to reach the last eight for the third time.
But there was heartbreak for Nishikori, the Japanese number one, who failed to match last year's run to the quarter-finals as he went down in straight sets to dogged Spaniard Ferrer.
Li has an enduring love affair with the Australian Open after reaching the semi-finals in 2010 and finishing runner-up to Kim Clijsters a year later. Last year, she crashed out in the fourth round against the Belgian.
However, after saving a first-set set point in a tense tie-break against Goerges, the world number six was untouchable and she completed her surge into the second week in just 86 minutes.
Meanwhile Nishikori, troubled by a knee injury, was outclassed 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by super-consistent Ferrer, the world number five, who reached the quarter-finals for the third year in a row.
For Nishikori, it was a disappointing outing after last year's run to the last eight, which went down as the best ever performance by a Japanese man.
It was a difficult defeat to swallow after Nishikori, the world number 18, came into the match with a winning record against Ferrer including victories at the 2008 US Open and last year's Olympics, held at Wimbledon.
Nishikori's defeat leaves Li as the last Asian player in the competition after Japan's Ayumi Morita and Kimiko Date-Krumm, 42, both went out on Saturday. (AFP)