PLAYER OF THE DAY: Naomi Osaka - the US Open titleholder recovered from a set and 4-1 down to stay alive for back-to-back slams with a 5-7 6-4 6-1 third-round victory over Hsieh Su-Wei.

STAT OF THE DAY: Steely-eyed Serena Williams' concession of just nine games while storming into the last 16 is the fewest of the tournament, confirming the American's hunger to match Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 grand slam singles crowns with an eighth title in Melbourne.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I just kept telling myself: 'I am going to die or going to win'." - sixth seed Elina Svitolina after overcoming a shoulder complaint and almost three hours of dogged resistance from Zhang Shuai to progress to the last 16 with a 4-6 6-4 7-5 victory.

TOURNAMENT SUMMARY: Williams and Osaka remain on a semi-final collision course four months after their explosive US Open final in New York, while men's top seed Novak Djokovic edged a step closer to a record seventh title in Melbourne with a four-set win over Canadian prodigy Denis Shapovalov. Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic were other big names to advance to the last 16.

Australian Associated Press