Rafael Nadal has been cut to 13/4 in tennis betting odds to win the Australian Open as he prepares to face Milos Raonic in the quarter-finals.

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Nadal had not made it to the last eight of a major tournament since the French Open in 2015 but he continued his resurgence on Rod Laver Arena by beating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-3 6-3 4-6 6-4 on Monday.

The world number nine looks rejuvenated in Melbourne and, with Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic out, he looks a genuine contender to secure a 15th grand slam triumph.

Nadal is the 17/25 favourite to win his quarter-final against Raonic, although he lost to the same opponent in Brisbane earlier this month.

The pair will now meet again after the big-serving Canadian beat Nadal’s fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 7-6 (8/6) 3-6 6-4 6-1.

Nadal ended last season in October to overcome a niggling wrist problem but, after proving his fitness in a five-set thriller with Alexander Zverev, he has now shown his form against the tricky Monfils.

“For me, it means a lot,” Nadal said. “To start the season playing quarter-finals in a grand slam again, especially on hard court after a couple of years without being in this round is great news. I'm very happy with an important victory against a very good opponent.”

Nadal's loss to Raonic in Brisbane was only his second in eight meetings but he is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge ahead.

“I need to be very focused with my serve and play aggressive,” Nadal said. “If I am not playing aggressive, then I am dead.”

Nadal is 100/30 to win in straight sets while Raonic is 7/6 to repeat his Brisbane triumph while 41/100 for the match to go to at least a fourth set looks a safe bet.

The bottom half of the draw's other quarter-final will pitch Belgium's David Goffin against Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov.

Goffin beat Dominic Thiem 5-7 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 6-2 while Dimitrov knocked out Djokovic's conqueror Denis Istomin 2-6 7-6 (7/2) 6-2 6-1.

World number 15 Dimitrov has long been tipped for a big future in the game but has struggled to fulfil his potential. However, the 25-year-old's victory over Istomin earns him a first grand slam quarter-final since 2014 and he is the 5/9 favourite to extend his stay in the tournament with Goffin priced at 10/7.

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Roger Federer is now the 3/1 tennis betting favourite to win the Australian Open for a fifth time.

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The Swiss overcame Kei Nishikori in five sets, in a match lasting three hours and 24 minutes, to reach the quarter-finals in Melbourne.

He will now continue his pursuit of an 18th grand slam title against Mischa Zverev, the world number 50 who pulled off a shock win over top seed Andy Murray.

Federer is 1/12 to progress to the last four with Zverev 7/1 for another upset while there are odds of 32/25 for the match to have more than 3.5 sets.

The hard-fought victory over Nishikori came in what was only Federer’s fourth official match since returning from six months out with a knee injury.

Federer, 35, has warned his rivals he feels fit and ready to go the distance, saying: “I felt great in the fifth, I must say. Even deep into the fourth I thought 'Yeah, fifth, here we go, no problem for me. I'm feeling good about my chances'.

"I was playing positive tennis, I was playing offensive. My body was reacting. I was playing way better than the first couple of rounds where I put in a lot of mental energy to stay with my opponents, figure them out, how were they going to play, how were the conditions going to be - understanding the comeback really.

"I was able to focus point per point on my opponent, on the tactics. That didn't drain me much. I felt great in the fifth, which I'm very happy about."

This is the 49th grand slam in which Federer has reached the last eight while Zverev's quarter-final will be his first.Federer is 7/1 to prevail in a deciding set with Zverev 24/1 to do likewise and 7/2 to take the opening set.

Murray's loss, coming three days after Novak Djokovic's defeat to Denis Istomin, has thrown the draw wide open, with the likes of Federer, Milos Raonic, Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka all primed to capitalise.

Wawrinka, the 2014 champion, faces Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals after beating Italian Andreas Seppi in straight sets, all three going to a tie-break.

The fourth seed, 13/4 for more Melbourne glory, is 5/8 to get past the Frenchman, who is 32/25 to stay on course to reach a second Australian Open final after his feat in 2008 when going down to Djokovic.

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888sport horse racing ambassador Emma Specner sat down with Joe Tizzard, son of leading trainer Colin Tizzard, to discuss the yard's leading Cheltenham Gold Cup contenders, Cue Card and Native River! Check out part two of the interview here!

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Emma Spencer previews the final day of Royal Ascot!

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Johanna Konta has been cut to 4/1 in tennis betting odds to warm up in style for the Australian Open by winning the WTA Apia International in Sydney.

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Konta succeeded where other seeds in her half of the draw failed as she reached the quarter-finals and is now the joint-second favourite for the title behind Agnieszka Radwanska at 9/4.

The Briton went on court immediately after world number one Angelique Kerber's defeat to Daria Kasatkina while Dominika Cibulkova and Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded third and fifth respectively, had also crashed out earlier on Tuesday.

That left Konta as the only seed in the top half of the draw and it was not an opportunity she wasted as she battled to a 6-1 6-3 victory over Russian-born Australian Daria Gavrilova in 81 minutes. 
 

The 25-year-old did not look back after breaking in the opening game and dropped only four points on serve in a first set she dominated.

Konta quickly established herself in the second set and while the plucky Gavrilova staved off four match points on serve in the eighth game, the British number one saved a break point and then sealed the win at the sixth attempt.

“I knew going into the match it was going to be an incredibly tough one, she's one of the best fighters on tour,” Konta said of Gavrilova.

The sixth seed continues her preparations for the first grand slam of the year with a last-eight clash against Kerber's conqueror Kasatkina, the Russian ranked 16 places below Konta at 26 in the world.

Konta is 16/25 for the win, 8/5 to ease through in straight sets and 33/10 to win a deciding set.

She added: “It's such a strong tournament, such depth, I know going into every single match that it's going to be a tough one and I'm just going to have to, first and foremost, take care of things my end.”

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Emma Spencer puts up her best bets on day four of the Royal meeting, which features a brace of Group 1s in the Commonwealth Cup and Coronation Stakes!

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Our racing ambassador puts up her best bets on another superb day of racing at Royal Ascot, featuring the Princess of Wales's Stakes.

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Emma Spencer previews the first day of Royal Ascot, featuring a sensational array of Group 1 action througout the afternoon,

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Kicking off with the superb Queen Anne stakes and also featuring the King's Stand over five furlongs, as well as the St James's Palace for three-year-olds, five days of superb action really do start with a bang.

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Emma Spencer chats to jockey Dougie Costello about the chances of Quiet Reflection, who's the current favourite for Friday's Commonwealth Cup. Bet on the race here, and don't forget to take advantage of all our great offers during Royal Ascot, including:

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