(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
The last of the singles quarter-finals at the Australian Open tennis tournament are being played on Wednesday.
Kristina Kukolja previews the matches on Day 10 at Melbourne Park.
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When Simona Halep bombed out, for the second time, in the first round of the Australian Open last year, the 22-year-old couldn't have imagined that just one year on she'd be playing for a place in the tournament's final four.
The 11th seed Romanian finished 2013 as the most improved female player on the professional tour.
And 2014 couldn't have started better, with Halep achieving her best career result when she reached the quarter-finals at Melbourne Park.
She's left her mark along the way, most notably by eliminating Serbia's eighth seed Jelena Jankovic in round four.
Now, the only obstacle standing between Halep and the semi-finals is 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
Cibulkova also caused a tournament shake-up ousting Russian third seed and former Australian Open champion Maria Sharapova from the competition.
The 24-year-old has dropped only one set in Melbourne this year, and says she's trying to stay composed on court.
"I came here to play my best tennis and the thing that changed maybe, and I'm playing so well and I'm trying to also enjoy tennis. I love what I'm doing and I don't want to put too much pressure because I don't want to suffer on the court. I love the game and I love to play tennis, and I am a very good player. So, I don't want to have two opponents: the real one and me. I'm just trying to play against the opponent now."
Vying for the last spot in the women's singles semi-finals are Poland's fifth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and second seed Victoria Azarenka of Belarus.
Twice a champion at Melbourne Park, Azarenka has spent just over six hours on court at this year's tournament, and hasn't lot a set to reach the final eight.
This is the fifth quarter final match for Radwanska at the Australian Open, who's won only three of the 16 competitive matches she's played against the Belorusian.
Journalists in Melbourne asked Radwanska whether she felt her chances of making the final are improved now that high-ranking players such as Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova are out of her side of the draw.
"I think this is sport, tennis, and especially Grand Slam that you really have to be prepared for a lot of good matches. Especially here with very hard conditions. Sometimes one match costs you a lot of power and you can't really go further. But I think it is not very much surprising. Of course it always happens that not all of the seeded players are in the quarters or the semis. Anyway, I'm playing Vika (Victoria Azarenka), so I don't really have an easy draw."
In the men's quarter finals on Wednesday star youngster Grigor Dimitrov will fight to unseat Rafael Nadal of Spain on his way to the top.
The ambitious 22-year-old is the first Bulgarian to ever reach the final eight at a Grand Slam, sweeping past Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut, to set up a meeting with the men's world number one.
Dimitrov took out Canadian 11th seed Milos Raonic in a dramatic earlier round match.
There's no trace though of the injury that kept Nadal out of last year's Australian Open, and he's yet to be beaten by Dimitrov on any surface.
But Dimitrov says he's been playing well and likes his chances at Melbourne Park.
"He's been a tremendous competitor and he's Rafa, we all know him. But that's what I playing for, to put myself into that position to play against those guys. I had tough battles with him in the past. I played a couple of times on clay. There is always little things missing. But I'm quite happy with the way I'm performing so far. So, I like my chances."
In the last of the men's singles quarter final matches, Britain's fourth seed Andy Murray will play long-time rival Roger Federer, the record breaking 17-time Grand Slam champion from Switzerland.
The two have in the past faced-off in the final of three of the four major tournaments, and at the Olympics.
Murray leads the way, having beaten Federer in 11 of their 20 meetings.
Wednesday's highly anticipated clash is expected to be a rematch of last year's Australian Open semi-final, won by the three-time finalist Murray.
Speaking after his victory over French 10th seed Jo Wilfried Tsonga this week, Federer said he'd had a more favourable lead-up to this year's match.
"It's the same draw just one round earlier for me so I'm happy that this time around I didn't play five sets. I had a great match with Jo (Wilfried Tsonga) last year, then with Andy also back to back five-set matches. So it was a really unbelievable time for me to be playing ten sets out here in great quality tennis. I'm looking forward to playing against Andy. I hope physically he is doing well because coming from surgery it's a great result for him right away to make the quarters, and I'm looking forward to playing against him. We always have good matches."
Like Boris Becker, former greats Stefan Edberg and Ivan Lendl these days come to the Australian Open coaching some of the world's current best.
Others like Croatian Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanisevic return for the fans in the so-called legends competition line-up.
Among them is Frenchman Yannick Noah, who went on to build a successful music career following his retirement from professional tennis.
Noah, who made it to the semi-finals in his last appearance at the Australian Open in 1990, reveals a little-known fact about how some players used to spend time off court.
"When we had a day off we used to jam with Max Wilander, Jim Courier, Ronald Agenor, Carlos Kirmayr -- these Brazilian guys. We used to hang out, have a beer, forget about this crazy competition and play some music. There were some great times because we loved it. I still do love it."
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