Sleeping Spaniard awake to Radwanska

After admitting to a Spanish siesta in her fourth-round win over Daria Gavrilova, Carla Suarez Navarro is promising to be more alert to the threat of Agnieszka Radwanska in the Australian Open quarter-finals on Tuesday.

Gavrilova caught Suarez Navarro napping to bagel the 10th seed in the first set before the Spaniard awoke from her slumber to charge into the last eight at Melbourne Park for the first time since 2009.

“I start too much relaxed. Was tough. Even though she was playing good, the first set, no mistake,” Suarez Navarro said.

The marquee match-up started at 7.30pm in Melbourne, around the time Suarez Navarro might normally take a rest at home in the Canary Islands.

“They have now midday. So, yeah, maybe when I start, I was on Sunday morning,” she joked.

“Normally in Spain they say that we are so relaxed, more than the other people from Spain. But I think we are also happy. We have good weather.

“I don’t know. You have to be there.”

There’ll be no time to joke on Tuesday, though, as Suarez Navarro takes on the highest seed remaining in the top half of the draw after Radwanska survived her own fourth-round scare.

The world No.4 was staring down the barrel until unfancied German Anna-Lena Friedsam succumbed to injury and cramps after leading 5-2 in the deciding set.

Radwanska’s late escape extended the 2015 season-ending championship winner’s unbeaten streak to 11 matches and she’ll take a 2-1 head-to-head advantage into her quarter-final with Suarez Navarro.

“I know her really good,” said the Spaniard.

“We have really tough matches in the past. She won the last tournament of the last year, the Masters. She started the season really good. She won the tournament.

“I know she will be tough for me. I know that because her style, you have to run a lot, you have to think every point what to do.

“But I think I’m ready. I’m really enjoying playing here in Melbourne. I’m really happy to be in the next round. I want more. I want more.”

The winner’s reward will be a crack at either six-times champion and world No.1 Serena Williams or last year’s runner-up Maria Sharapova on Thursday for a place in Saturday’s title match.

4-AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA (POL) leads 10-CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO (ESP) 2-1

2015 Miami Masters, hard, R16, Suarez Navarro 5-7 6-0 6-4

2012 US Open, hard, hard, R64, Radwanska 4-6 6-3 6-0

2009 Canadian Masters, hard, R64, Radwanska 6-3 6-3

AGNIESZKA RADWANSKA

Age: 26

Ranking: 4

Plays: right-handed (two-handed backhand)

Career prize money: $US21,888,876 ($A31.95 million)

Career titles: 18

Career win-loss record: 511-219

Grand slam titles: 0

Australian Open win-loss record: 31-9

Best Australian Open result: semi-finalist 2014

CARLA SUAREZ NAVARRO

Age: 27

Ranking: 11

Plays: right-handed (one-handed backhand)

Career prize money: $US6,317,840 ($A9.05 million)

Career titles: 1

Career win-loss record: 404-254

Grand slam titles: 0

Australian Open win-loss record: 16-7

Best Australian Open result: quarter-finalist 2009, 2015

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