Australian Open 2026 day eight AS IT HAPPENED: Mirra Andreeva smashes racquet in surprise fourth-round exit; Novak Djokovic's opponent pulls out due to injury

Thank you for joining us for day eight of the Australian Open.

We will be back following more of the action tomorrow.

Australians in bold

Jessica Pegula v Madison Keys at 11.30am on Rod Laver Arena

Lorenzo Musetti v Taylor Fritz on Rod Laver to follow

Jannik Sinner v Luciano Darderi not before 6pm on Margaret Court Arena 

Maddison Inglis v Iga Swiatek at 7pm on Rod Laver Arena

James McCabe and Li Tu v Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans

Kristina Mladenovic and Guo Hanyu v Talia Gibson and Kimberly Birrell

Elina Svitolina is through to the quarter finals!

The Ukrainian star defeated Mirra Andreeva in straight-sets, 6-2, 6-4.

Andreeva was quick to rush to her player's bench and collect her belongings, not approaching the net to shake her opponent's hand.

That choice was not made out of the blue, rather it is known across the professional circuit that Svitolina will not be shaking hands with any Russian players.

The Australian Open is not the only tournament that Svitolina has done so.

Mirra Andreeva is still very much in this match, but her frustrations are beginning to throw her off course.

The 18-year-old was unlucky not to get a shot over the net for a chasing Elina Svitolina.

She was quick to throw her racquet straight at the ground, much to the surprise of the crowd.

It has been a tightly contested encounter so far.

Mirra Andreeva is trying everything she can to break ahead of Elina Svitolina, but as soon as it appears she has done exactly that, the Ukrainian soars back.

Jelena Dokic has called for Andreeva to look to add "some variation" to her game going forward in this match.

Scores are currently level at 3-3 in the second set.

Mirra Andreeva has turned momentum back in her favour to start the second set.

The 18-year-old has composed herself quite nicely in the last few minutes, powering to a 2-1 lead over Elina Svitolina.

Elina Svitolina has taken the first set 6-2.

It was a comfortable time for Svitolina to open the match, as her rival appeared to be struggling with nerves while settling in on Rod Laver Arena.

That being said, Mirra Andreeva has shown signs that she is ready to battle.

The ball kids are on alert on the sidelines of this women's singles match.

So much so, one ball kid's catching skills could have been handy at another sporting event, according to British presenter Katherine Downes.

"We might need to recruit him for the England cricket team," Downes laughed.