Getting to know the two surprising quarterfinalists at the 2020 Australian Open

Ons Jabeur (Google Images)

We are now headed to the final eight on the men’s and women’s side at the 2020 Australian Open.As the second week is about to get extremely entertaining, the performances of one male singles player and one female singles player could come as huge surprises.

Tennys Sandgren is the 100th ranked player in the world, but should skyrocket up the ATP ranking list after his second quarterfinal berth at the Australian Open in the last three years. There is no doubt that 2019 was a year to forget for Sandgren as he had a record of 12 wins and 16 losses.

However over the last week in Melbourne, Sandgren showed once again why he loves playing in the Oceania region. A year after winning in Auckland, the native of Gallatin, Tennessee has put together four impressive wins at the year’s first major. He has beaten Argentinian qualifier Marco Trungelliti 6-1, 6-4, 7-5 in the first round, eighth ranked Matteo Berrettini of Italy (2019 U.S. Open semifinalist) 7-6, 6-4, 4-6, 2-6, 7-5 in the second round, 2017 U.S. Open semifinalist Sam Querrey of the United States 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the third round and 12th seed Fabio Fognini of Italy 7-6, 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 in the fourth round.

The next test for Sandgren will be a monumental one however. His opponent is six-time Australian Open champion Roger Federer of Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the challenges for Ons Jabeur of Tunisia are even more significant. Jabeur has become the first Arabic person (male or female) to reach a grand slam singles quarterfinal. In becoming a trail blazer in the sport of tennis, Jabeur, the 78th ranked player in the world, is breaking down barriers for females in an Arabic culture that does not have a rich history of female sporting excellence. At the 2020 Australian Open, Jabeur has beaten 12th ranked and three-time grand slam semifinalist Johanna Konta of Great Britain 6-4, 6-2 in the first round, Caroline Garcia of France 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the second round, 2018 Australian Open champion Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 in the third round and 27th ranked Qiang Wang of China 7-6, 6-1 in the fourth round. Jabeur will next play 14th ranked American Sofia Kenin in the quarterfinals.