As it happened: Australian Open Day 10

Look back at the quarter-final action on day 10 of the Australian Open with Grandstand's up-to-the-minute coverage.

As the tournament heavyweights slugged it out at Melbourne Park we brought you all the action including photos, highlights and tweets.

• Victoria Azarenka def Svetlana Kuznetsova 7-5, 6-1
• Sloane Stephens def Serena Williams 3-6, 7-5, 6-4
• Andy Murray def Jeremy Chardy 6-4, 6-1, 6-2
• Roger Federer def Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3

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12:00am: Thank you linesmen, thank you ball-boys. That was an incredible night of grand slam tennis. We couldn't have asked for a more thrilling quarter-final - and there's amazingly still more high-quality tennis to come.

Tomorrow afternoon - not before 1:30pm, mind you - the action resumes on Rod Laver Arena when Chinese sixth seed Li Na faces off with Maria Sharapova the number two-ranked Russian for a spot in the final.

Straight after that, top seed and defending champion Victoria Azarenka will find out just how much of a giant-killer that surprise package American teen Sloane Stephens really is in the second semi.

In tomorrow's evening session there's the showpiece as Novak Djokovic takes on gutsy Spaniard David Ferrer. Two men will enter, but only one can leave with a ticket to Sunday night's big dance.

Who will prevail? Tune in tomorrow as Grandstand Online covers every moment live. Until then I'm Adrian Crawford signing off.

Photo: Battle-weary generals ... Roger Federer was pushed all the way to five by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. (Paul Crock: AFP)

11:18pm: GAME, SET, MATCH ROGER FEDERER!

For the 10th consecutive year the Swiss world number two advances to the semi-finals of the Australian Open with a mammoth 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-3 triumph over France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

The first year of that run was 2004, when he went on to win all the chocolates. What an unbelievable battle royale we've seen here tonight.

Tsonga leaves centre court to the warm appreciation of the Rod Laver Arena crowd, who've witnessed a gutsy performance from both men.

It wasn't always pretty - Tsonga had 61 unforced errors to Federer's 47 - and the Frenchman dominated the service game with 20 aces (including the fastest of the tournament at 218km/h) to Fed's six.

But Federer goes on to meet Andy Murray in the penultimate round. And how does he feel about it?

It'll be fine. I'm young you know. I'll recover quick, compared to the seniors.

Ever the crowd-pleaser.

Read the story: Federer outlasts Tsonga to reach semis

11:17pm: MATCH POINT ON FEDERER'S SERVE! It's 40-30 after three hours and 34 minutes.

11:15pm: Unforced errors are keeping this game alive and ticking. It ain't always pretty but it's determined.

11:14pm: GAME POINT TSONGA. Brilliant ace there to shrug off the fifth deuce point and then he does it again to steal the game from Federer, who still leads 5-3.

11:13pm: DEUCE. AGAIN. Now Federer's tense. Wow.

11:11pm: FIFTH DEUCE POINT. First serve goes into the net from Tsonga, second one clears but after a quick rally it's advantage Federer. Fourth match point.

ANOTHER GAME POINT FOR TSONGA. Fed's return found the net.

11:09pm: DEUCE...AGAIN. Tsonga's backhand was too long and gives Fed a life. Tense stuff.

ADVANTAGE TSONGA! This is a rollercoaster. Tsonga serves for the game.

DEUCE! Tsonga has done absolutely everything to volley back over the tape after Federer thought he had the perfect angle.

11:08pm: MATCH POINT FEDERER! Unbelievable rally but Federer prevails.

DEUCE! Tsonga gets a big serve down the middle and Fed nets.

TWO MATCH POINTS FOR FEDERER!

Fed challenges Tsonga's serve but it was indeed in. He still has one match point.

11:07pm: But an ace makes it 15-15! Tsonga's third serve is returned post-haste and then the Frenchman nets. 15-30...

11:06pm: Backhand error from Tsonga makes it 0-15...

11:05pm: Federer holds serve and takes a 5-2 lead into the eighth game of the fifth and deciding set. Can he break Tsonga here and book his semi-final berth?

10:59pm: But the Frenchman saves both! These guys don't know how to quit, and Tsonga holds serve and takes the game to make it 4-2.

Photo: Slugging it out ... a five-set epic was absolutely no surprise between Tsonga and Federer. (Joe Castro: AAP Image)

10:58pm: TWO BREAK POINTS FOR FEDERER! Some backspin and a lucky fall sees Federer's return kiss the top of the tape and drops out of Tsonga's range. The pair shared an awkward laugh there too.

10:54pm: FEDERER HOLDS! The world number two has victory in his sights despite some hairy moments throughout. He's looked a lot better in the last couple of games - his years of experience in big-game situations certainly aren't hurting him here.

Don't count Tsonga out, but Federer is still up 4-1 in the decisive set.

10:51pm: FEDERER BREAKS! Tsonga netted a backhand with Federer holding two break points. Is this the turning point the Swiss star needs? It's 3-1 to the world number two. If he can hold here...

10:47pm: Easy as you like it, Federer holds serve to love and goes up 2-1. What an absolute grind.

10:45pm: Federer holds serve to open the fifth set, which is just what he needed to settle. But Tsonga buries a pair of consecutive aces - his 17th and 18th - to seal the second game and tie the fifth set at 1-1.

10:38pm: FOURTH SET TO JO-WILFRIED TSONGA! The Frenchman buries a 206km/h ace on set point to take the fourth 6-3 against Roger Federer.

Due credit must go to Tsonga thus far, but Federer isn't on top of his game tonight.

He has 42 unforced errors through four sets - for perspective (thanks to the number-crunching of Adam White), Fed Express had 20 against Bernard Tomic and 12 against Milos Raonic in his third- and fourth-round games.

10:34pm: TSONGA BREAKS BACK! Unbelievable. He's absolutely stolen that set from under Federer, earning those break points by sheer hard work.

That's the fifth time Tsonga has broken the Swiss legend this match - he hadn't been broken at all before tonight. It's 5-3 in the fourth with the Frenchman to serve for the set.

10:29pm: FEDERER BREAKS BACK! The relief in the Swiss man's gesture is clear to see as he bounces back from being broken in the previous game, only one game separates the two in the fourth set at 4-3.

10:25pm: TSONGA BREAKS! The Frenchman takes a 4-2 lead in the fourth set! He sends it down the middle and another error off Federer's forehand surrenders the game.

10:24pm: Tsonga wins two consecutive points to bring up deuce, but Federer regains the advantage. But an absolute missile down the line from the Frenchman returns things to deuce.

10:19pm: Tsonga holds serve to 15 in response with game point coming after one of the best rallies of the night so far, and the French seventh-seed goes to 3-2 in the fourth.

10:17pm: Easy as you like. A long return from Tsonga means Federer escapes a spot of bother, having been down two break points, to take the fourth game and level it up 2-2.

10:15pm: TWO BREAK POINTS FOR TSONGA! Boy, Roger Rasheed liked that one. Federer saves one after the Frenchman slipped and couldn't quite get to it but there's still one in play.

Another slip - on the other side of the court - means it's deuce. Federer avoids the break for now.

Photo: Get your slide on ... Jo-Wilfried Tsonga puts all he has into lunging for one. (Mast Irham: AAP Image)

10:11pm: And from advantage, Tsonga aces Federer to hold serve and take a 2-1 lead in the fourth set.

10:10pm: A forehand error from Tsonga fails to capitalise on Federer being all out of sorts at his end, so the world number two earns a break point. But Tsonga's huge forehand down the line makes it deuce again!

10:08pm: THREE BREAK POINTS FOR FEDERER! Exciting rally there as Federer came to the net but Tsonga defuses it to save a point. The Frenchman then forces an error from the Swiss to pare it down to a single break point. And a 193km/h ace makes it deuce!

10:02pm: Tsonga holds serve to open the fourth set at 1-0. Same thing at the other end though, as Federer holds his own to tie it at 1-1. As Adam White notes in the commentary box, both players have come out looking pretty impressive after that tough third set.

9:58pm: THIRD SET TO ROGER FEDERER! The world number two will leave the arena and take a quick break before the fourth set after prevailing 7-6 (7-4) in the third set tie-break. Same scoreline as the opening set, if you'll recall.

So Federer, who hasn't looked near his best tonight, goes up two sets to one against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in two hours and 15 minutes.

Mark Woodford reckons the tie-break is actually suiting Federer tonight, given he's forced to play under immense pressure with every point crucial.

9:56pm: The Frenchman's eyes light up at Federer's second serve - the first one being long - and suddenly it's 5-4. But Federer sends a beautiful backhand down the line and earns two set points at 6-4!

9:55pm: Tsonga serves at 3-3 but Federer prevails to take the advantage at 4-3, then holds his serve to lead 5-3.

9:53pm: TOUGH BREAK FOR TSONGA! He was at the net but his sharp volley went into the net to give Federer a 2-1 lead before the same thing almost happens in reverse. It's now 2-2.

9:52pm: A big first serve lands Federer the first point, but Tsonga misdirects the Swiss next serve to make it 1-1.

9:51pm: Well that was predictable. Tsonga holds serve and we've got a tie-breaker. Federer is not happy.

9:47pm: From 0-30 Federer claws back to win the 11th game 6-5. He needs a break here to ease some of the pressure.

9:45pm: Tsonga had just reeled off six straight points to look like breaking Federer at 0-30 but a killer backhand winner down the line gets the Swiss back in the game.

9:41pm: We're heading for another tie-breaker here as Federer holds to 15 and it's 5-4. Something's gotta give. But it won't be in the 10th game, where Tsonga holds to love to make it 5-5.

9:39pm: But Tsonga can hold to love too, don't worry about that. It's now 4-4 in the third set, thanks as much to one man's errors as to the other's winners.

9:35pm: Federer holds his serve to love in clinical fashion to move to a 4-3 lead in the third set. The world number two looked extremely good in that one.

9:34pm: Winner for Tsonga, who draws Federer around a forehand and then hits his return into the exposed court to seal the game and hold serve to go to 3-3.

Photo: Move it or lose it ... not everyone at Rod Laver Arena liked the Swiss flag. (Barbara Walton: AAP Image)

9:30pm: But Federer wins a comfortable game, holding serve to love to make it 3-2 as the service goes back to Tsonga.

9:28pm: Tsonga holds as Federer finds the net so Tsonga levels it at 2-2 in the third set.

9:26pm: The fourth game is a tug of war, with errors bringing up the third deuce point after Tsonga had a set point before Federer fought back.

The Swiss takes the break point...but a cold forehand winner than a 218km/h ace puts Tsonga back into the advantage!

9:17pm: BREAK POINT FOR TSONGA. And he converts!

The Frenchman breaks straight back to make it 2-1, thanks in part to a successful challenge of a too-long Federer return that the line judge didn't raise an eyebrow at.

9:14pm: BREAK FOR FEDERER. He went up 30-0 before Tsonga fought back to 30-30, but the Swiss converted his break point to move to 2-0 in the third.

9:09pm: First blood goes to Federer as he holds the opening service game of the third set. Tsonga is fighting hard in his response though, coming back from 0-30 to 30-30 in his first service game of the set.

Meanwhile we asked a little while ago how you saw tonight's match panning out. Here are some of your responses:

@sirocco1971 2 sets a piece decided on tie-breaks and Gillard forces #NovaPeris to replace Tsonga in the last @zoonmattau 5 sets, 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 5-7 and then a huge last set @FunBBallCoach not even close, Federer in straight sets. Hype to fizzle out over Tsonga's early in match.

9:04pm: SECOND SET TO JO-WILFRIED TSONGA! That's the first set Roger Federer has lost in this tournament, as the Frenchman prevails 6-4 in 32 minutes.

Tsonga is looking dangerous, landing 68 per cent of his first serves and his second deliveries were also solid.

Federer on the other hand had a few odd errors and he seemed to lack rhythm after that mammoth effort in the first set.

9:01pm: A sigh of relief for Federer as he holds serve to 30 and makes it 5-4. Tsonga still now gets his shot at serving out the set and levelling this potential marathon at one apiece.

8:58pm: Too easy for Tsonga as he holds serve to love and advances to 5-3 in the second set. Federer is now serving to save his chances in the second set.

8:53pm: BREAK POINT FOR TSONGA and he converts! Federer plays his forehand wide and that's the second time tonight. Tsonga moves to 4-3 against the serve.

8:50pm: Another held service game as crowd favourite Tsonga makes it 3-3.

8:45pm: Tsonga holds serve with back-to-back aces to make it 2-2 in the second set. Who's going to blink first here? It won't be the Swiss - Federer does his bit, holding serve to 15 to return to the lead at 3-2 in the second set.

8:42pm: Federer holds to 30 and congratulates himself for it, while the Frenchman is visibly frustrated at being down 2-1.

8:39pm: It is so far - Tsonga holds serve to 15 and it's 1-1 with Federer with a one-set advantage.

8:37pm: And wasting no time, Federer takes the first game by holding his serve to love. Will this set be as balanced as the first?

8:33pm: FIRST SET TO ROGER FEDERER. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga finds the net and that's enough for the Swiss to take the first set 7-6 (7-4) after 50 minutes.

What a cracking first set by both men - no one can really be surprised it went to the tie-break. And not only that, Tsonga became the first man to break Federer's serve all tournament. Kudos for that.

8:32pm: The Frenchman hasn't surrendered yet - a brilliant forehand winner down the line makes it 5-4, but Federer drives it into the open court after his own first serve and earns two set points.

8:31pm: A very, very, very close ace is called in on review after kissing the line and Federer is up 5-2, but a big ace from Tsonga makes it 5-3 to the Swiss.

8:29pm: "An awesome approach" and "a very difficult forehand", according to Mark Woodford, help Tsonga back to trail 2-3 but Federer breaks his serve to go up 4-2.

Photo: France's Jo-Wilfried Tsonga poses for a remote television camera ahead of his men's singles match against Switzerland's Roger Federer on the 10th day of the Australian Open in Melbourne on January 23, 2013. (Peter Parks: AFP)

8:27pm: In the blink of an eye Federer is up 3-0 and Adam White reckons Tsonga is distracted, possibly by the grip on his shoes.

8:26pm: Federer hauls back Tsonga to 6-6 with a cracking ace at two match points and we've got a first-set tie-break.

8:18pm: No problem for the world number two Swiss, who holds serve to level things again at 5-5. Tsonga gets Federer on the run though and speeds through the 11th game, holding his serve to love and moving to a 6-5 advantage.

8:15pm: Unbelievable! Federer saves a Tsonga overhead smash with a smash of his own to bring up a break point at 4-4. Tsonga's second serve ends up in the net on Federer's side of the court to make it deuce.

But from there the Frenchman moves to advantage and then holds serve to regain his lead at 5-4. Federer will serve to stay in the set.

8:13pm: Federer holds his own serve to 15 against Tsonga to bring it back to 4-4.

8:09pm: Tsonga might have been wincing earlier but he seems to be alright because despite dropping a couple of game points, he moves into a 4-3 lead with a simple overhead smash.

8:06pm: TSONGA BREAKS BACK! That's the first break of Federer's service for the entire Australian Open as Tsonga levels it up at 3-3.

8:04pm: Deuce! Tsonga's little backhand volley is too shallow for Federer to get. And a brilliant wristy forehand brings up break point for the Frenchman.

8:02pm: Federer is 0-30 here in the sixth game - remember, he hasn't been broken this entire tournament. Will this be the set?

Well, maybe not as Tsonga's aggression forces a couple of errors and suddenly Fed is up 40-30.

Photo: Bit of a stretch ... Roger Federer was pushed early by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. (Dennis Sabangan: AAP Image)

7:59pm: Tsonga with three game points but Federer comes up with a stretching winner to save a game point. But the Swiss mishit a backhand into the net so Tsonga holds serve to 15. It's 3-2.

7:57pm: Federer regained control after the second deuce point of the set and then makes a long forehand too hard for Tsonga to hit, saving three break points to hold his serve to make his lead 3-1.

7:55pm: Break point for Tsonga! But Federer wrong-foots him and gets the ball behind the Frenchman, who slipped and grabbed his left side. It's deuce, but Federer finds the net so Tsonga gets another break point.

7:48pm: And Federer holds his serve to love to extend his lead to 2-0. But Tsonga stands firm with his next serve, taking the game to enter the fray with the score at 2-1.

7:45pm: Federer already has a pair of break points but while Tsonga saves one to remain in the first game, the world number two Swiss converts the other and goes 1-0 up before his first service game.

7:43pm: After a bit of a hiatus we're back on centre court for the evening session with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga serving to Roger Federer.

5:58pm: We've got another of those lulls at Melbourne Park now. A superb evening in prospect begins in a little over 90 minutes. First Federer-Tsonga and then Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua take on Varvara Lepchenko and Saisai Zheng for a place in the women's doubles final.

5:54pm: Andy Murray seals victory from his first match point on Jeremy Chardy's serve. A dominating performance, which likely sets up a mouth-watering semi-final with Roger Federer - assuming the Swiss ace does the business tonight against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Photo: Andy Murray was barely stretched in reaching the semi-final of the Australian Open. (Getty Images: Julian Finney)

5:49pm: Murray is broken, could this be the start of a remarkable comeback? Probably not...

5:47pm: Murray breaks Chardy once more to take a 5-1 lead and is now serving for the match.

5:39pm: No bagels for Chardy as he gets on the board in the third set. More of a baguette man anyway surely...

5:33pm: Murray made to fight a bit, but does go 3-0 up. The end is nigh.

5:27pm: Third set, same story as the first - and the second. Chardy hits a regulation forehand into the net and Murray breaks early to go 2-0 up.

5:20pm: SECOND SET TO MURRAY! A double fault hands Murray the second set. The third seed is 6-4, 6-1 up going into the third.

5:17pm: Murray had to save a number of break points but eventually held to take a 5-1 lead. Chardy serving to stay in the match.

5:06pm: DOUBLE BREAK! Murray now 4-1 up in the second set. Will Chardy will be able to make a gallant losing effort in this set as well?

4:58pm: New set, same story. Murray breaks early again. This time in the third game to take an early 2-1 lead.

4:45pm: MURRAY TAKES THE FIRST SET! The Scot wins 6-4, but Chardy has shown enough that it might not be completely plain sailing from here.

4:36pm: Murray is now serving for the set at 5-4 up. Chardy making life a lot harder for him now though.

4:30pm: Quite a turnaround. Chardy breaks Murray's serve to love to pull it back to 4-2. Maybe this will be a match.

4:17pm: Murray breaks Chardy a second time. I think it's safe to say this match will not have the drama of the last one.

4:05pm: Andy Murray breaks Jeremy Chardy in the first game. Not the start the heavy underdog needed.

Photo: Serena Williams' back injury was the turning point in the match. (Getty Images: Michael Dodge)

3:44pm: SLOANE STEPHENS WINS! She beats her hero 3-6, 7-5, 6-4 to reach the semi-final against Victoria Azarenka. She secured two match points and only needed one to seal the best victory of her career.

3:39pm: A game of remarkable quality considering Williams' injury. Eventually, after a second deuce, Stephens wins to go 5-4 in front. Williams now serving to stay in the match.

3:32pm: STEPHENS BREAKS BACK! Williams conceded two break points and after saving one, hit the net to bring the match back to 4-4.

3:27pm: WILLIAMS BREAKS! Converting her third break to take a 4-3 lead. Fantastic rally to end it. It looked like Stephens had it won but Serena lunging behind the baseline hit deep to hit Stephens' backline and the youngster hit into the net.

3:19pm: Stephens had another chance at 30-30 but Williams pulled out another game. She looks no easier on her legs.

3:14pm: Stephens holds serve comfortably. Really should put pressure on Williams now.

3:09pm: Williams holds again to make it 2-2. On a knife-edge this match still. Williams' serve very much hampered but Stephens not taking advantage.

3:00pm: You wonder if its a lack of bottle or inexperience hampering Stephens - or both. Why go for audacious winners when moving Williams around the court seems sure to bear fruit? One-each in the third.

2:58pm: Stephens holds the first game of the third set. Williams is just teeing off on every shot now. She hit a couple of great winners but its a low percentage game. The match seems Stephens' for the taking.

2:53pm: STEPHENS TAKES THE SECOND SET! Williams hits a regulation forehand into the net and this match goes into a third set. Surely the youngster will fancy the task now.

Photo: Encouraging signs ... Sloane Stephens stretches for a return (AFP Photo: William West)

2:45pm: Stephens holds on to go 6-5 up but had to survive a break point to do so. Eventually she realised making Williams run when she has a bad ankle, bad knee and bad back might not be a bad idea. You wonder if Williams will even play if it goes to a third set - she looks in that much trouble.

2:40pm: Back underway, Williams still looking very unsteady but despite serving at what looks like all of 80km/hr Stephens' game has fallen apart and Serena won the game to love. 5-apiece in the second set.

2:35pm: So a break in play with Williams leaving the court to receive further treatment for what appears to be a leg injury.

2:33pm: WILLIAMS BREAKS BACK! Stephens squandered a set point, with Williams breaking to trail 4-5. But she is now receiving medical treatment on court and appeared to be in some distress during the most recent game.

2:29pm: STEPHENS SECURES THE DOUBLE BREAK! The young American now leads 5-3, but Williams is noticeably limping after she appeared to jolt one of her knees when chasing down a return.

2:24pm: Stephens in front 4-3 after holding serve. She has shown this set she can break Williams and a second break will almost guarantee her the second set.

2:22pm: Williams survives a break point to eventually hold to level at 3-3. Stephens is growing in confidence, despite being unable to snare the double break.

2:15pm: Stephens holds serve and she now leads 3-2.

2:12pm: STEPHENS BREAKS BACK! The 19-year-old finally grabs a break of the Williams serve and she levels at 2-2 in the second set.

A cool head on the shoulders of Stephens and she will back her chances to push this match into a third and deciding set, even at this early stage of the second.

2:05pm: Stephens isn't going away that easy, however, as she holds her serve to trail 1-2.

2:02pm: Williams is motoring towards a semi-final berth against Victoria Azarenka, holding serve to lead 2-0.

1:59pm: WILLIAMS BREAKS! Everything is in the favour of Williams, securing the early break to lead 1-0 in the second set.

1:54pm: WILLIAMS WINS FIRST SET! It took 28 minutes for the world number three to assume a 6-3 lead over her younger opponent.

Her quickest serve of the first set was 187 kilometres per hour, while she did not concede a double fault and landed 58 per cent of first serves in.

1:50pm: WILLIAMS BREAKS! Williams converted on her third break point to establish a 5-3 lead over Stephens. She is now serving for the first set ...

1:45pm: Williams hold with her fourth service game - it's 4-3 ...

1:42pm: Stephens holds again to level at 3-3. She has only been getting 50 per cent of her first serves in, but still she is yet to be broken in the first set.

1:39pm: Games remain on serve with Williams holding for a 3-2 lead. Can she now break the Stephens serve that already has an ace in its bag?

1:36pm: It is 2-2 on Rod Laver Arena - who will break first?

1:33pm: Games going on serve with Williams ahead 2-1.

Meanwhile, the Bryan brothers, Mike and Bob, are through to the semi-finals of the men's doubles following a 6-3, 7-5 defeat of Daniele Bracciali and Lukas Dlouhy.

1:31pm: Stephens matches her opponent and it is 1-1.

1:29pm: Williams gets on the scoreboard, holding serve to lead 1-0.

1:21pm: Serena Williams and Sloane Stephens are now on court on Rod Laver Arena, completing their warm-ups.

Williams is heavily favoured to beat her fellow American, although the 19-year-old Stephens will not be lacking confidence.

She entered the Open ranked 25 in the world, having shown encouraging signs in her 6-4, 6-3 loss to Williams in the quarter-finals of the Brisbane International earlier this month.

It was a contest that was closer than the final scoreline suggested, but Williams gave every indication she could have raised her game if Stephens had been able to push the clash to a third set.

Photo: Staying alive ... Victoria Azarenka collects her thoughts during her quarter-final against Svetlana Kuznetsova (AFP Photo: Peter Parks)

1:01pm: GAME, SET, MATCH AZARENKA!

Victoria Azarenka advances to the semi-finals with a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Svetlana Kuznetsova in one hour and 47 minutes.

There were some nervous moments for the world number one, but her class told in the second set and she will now face either Serena Williams or Sloane Stephens in the last four.

Read the story: Azarenka gets past stubborn Kuznetsova

12:58pm: An ace clinches Azarenka's service game, as the Belarusian edges closer to a quarter-final win to lead 5-1 in the second set.

12:52pm: AZARENKA BREAKS AGAIN! Leading 4-1 in the second set, Azarenka is in the box seat to claim victory and move through to the semi-finals.

12:45pm: Azarenka indeed holds and she now leads 3-1 in the second set.

Photo: High-profile support ... Stefan 'Redfoo' Gordy cheers for Victoria Azarenka on Rod Laver Arena (Getty Images: Cameron Spencer)

12:42pm: ANOTHER BREAK TO AZARENKA! It's 2-1 - will Azarenka now hold for the first time in the second set?

12:39pm: KUZNETSOVA BREAKS BACK! It's 1-1 in the second set, as Kuznetsova breaks the Azarenka serve.

12:35pm: AZARENKA BREAKS! Having claimed the opening set, Azarenka picks up an early break of serve to lead 1-0 in the second.

12:33pm: On Show Court Three, the Woodies have turned back the clock to win their legends' doubles match against Darren "Killer" Cahill and Brad Gilbert, 6-2, 6-4.

12:31pm: FIRST SET TO AZARENKA! The world number one claims the opening set 7-5, having converted on her third set point.

Just reward for Azarenka, who dropped her second service game and fought back from 1-4 down.

12:24pm: AZARENKA BREAKS! Kuznetsova drops her service game, allowing Azarenka to assume a 6-5 lead. Maybe we won't need a tie-break after all ...

12:22pm: Out on court six, Australia's Thanasi Kokkinakis has beaten France's Enzo Couacaud 6-2, 6-0 to move through to the quarter-finals of the boys' singles draw.

While Couacaud's Melbourne Park tilt is over, let's hope we hear more of him in the future, not just for the sake of French tennis but also so commentators and journalists can roll that cool name "Enzo" off the tongue.

Reminds you of the days when guys named "Pancho" used to dominate the courts ...

12:20pm: This is tight on Rod Laver Arena - Azarenka holds her serve to level at 5-5. You get the impression this set will be decided in a tie-breaker.

12:12pm: Azarenka is going to have to serve to stay in the first set, with Kuznetsova holding for a 5-4 lead.

We've been going for 58 minutes, so we could be in for another thriller ...

12:09pm: We're all square on Rod Laver Arena - Azarenka holds her serve to level the first set at 4-4 against Kuznetsova.

12:02pm: AZARENKA BREAKS! A double fault from Kuznetsova sees games back on serve with Azarenka now trailing 3-4.

Photo: Tight contest ... Victoria Azarenka prepares to serve against Svetlana Kuznetsova
(AFP Photo: Peter Parks)

11:59am: Azarenka holds her serve to trail 2-4, but the defending champion is being forced to play catch-up against her experienced Russian opponent.

11:55am: Kuznetsova consolidates that break of serve with a backhand winner setting up a 4-1 lead over the world number one.

11:48am: KUZNETSOVA BREAKS! The Russian was rewarded for going for her shots with a series of clean winners peppering her break of the Azarenka serve.

Following a fourth game lasting around 15 minutes, Kuznetsova leads 3-1 in the first set.

11:37am: Great news out on court six for local fans with Thanasi Kokkinakis claiming the first set 6-2 against France's Enzo Couacaud in their third-round encounter in the boys' singles.

11:31am: Games on serve on Rod Laver Arena but Kuznetsova, now leading 2-1, is being troubled by the returning power of Azarenka.

11:25am: Azarenka holds to level at 1-1 in the first set.

11:23am: There's some positive signs on the outside courts from an Australian perspective with Adelaide teenager Thanasi Kokkinakis enjoying the upper hand in his third-round match in the boys' singles.

The 16-year-old has jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the opening set against his French opponent Enzo Couacaud.

11:22am: Kuznetsova holds serve for a 1-0 lead in the first set, but Azarenka did have a break point in a opening game lasting eight minutes.

11:08am: So the first match on Rod Laver Arena is about to get underway with defending champion and world number one Victoria Azarenka taking on two-time major winner Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Kuznetsova, currently ranked 75, survived a tight three-set match against Caroline Wozniacki to advance to the last eight and she takes a 4-3 career head-to-head record into her clash with Azarenka.

But Azarenka has won their past two encounters, the most recent coming on the hard courts of Indian Wells last season.

11:00am: Novak Djokovic's stamina was not the only talking point of the Australian Open.

The gutsy display from David Ferrer to fight back from two sets down to beat fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro to make the semis has drawn applause from both fans and other pros.

Mardy Fish was one of many in awe of Ferrer's comeback triumph.

@MardyFish David Ferrer.... Much Respect

Photo: Novak Djokovic looked a different player to the one who struggled to make it to the quarter-finals. (Getty Images: Scott Barbour-Pool)

10:36am: Novak Djokovic astounded some observers with his recovery from his fourth-round clash with Stan Wawrinka, having downed Tomas Berdych in straight sets just 48 hours later to reach the semi-finals.

Djokovic has previously shown the ability to back up after tough five-setters, so some of the questioning at his post-match media conference on Tuesday night was somewhat surprising.

The world number one was not giving too much away in regard to his recovery program, explaining that he and his support team simply know what to do.

"After five hours of match, you need to really put a lot of time into recovery, different kinds of recoveries. As I said, I understand that many people have many different views and opinions, and I respect that.

"But I'm doing everything that is legal, that is correct, that is natural that I can, possibly can in my power, and it's working well."

10:30am: G'day tennis lovers and welcome to Grandstand's live blog of day 10 action from the Australian Open.

The quarter-final matches will reach their climax by the end of the day so it won't be long before we know who will be fighting out the semi-finals in both the men's and women's draws.

So who's on centre court today?

Victoria Azarenka and Svetlana Kuznetsova kick off proceedings on Rod Laver Arena in about 30 minutes time.

Roger Federer and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga will battled it out later in the evening session from 7:30pm (AEDT).

We will also be keeping our eye on the outside courts where the doubles, mixed doubles, boys and girls, and the legends tournaments are continuing.

The current temperature in Melbourne is just 18 degrees Celsius with a high of 26 expected in the afternoon.

As always, you can keep in touch with us via Facebook or Twitter, where we'll be asking for your thoughts on the tennis as the day goes on.

Want to look back at some of the images from Melbourne Park so far during the Open? Make sure to check out our photo gallery below.