Poland supplies a reason to smile

MELBOURNE, Australia -- It was a tough call at the U.S. Open in New York last year whether Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland was more impressive on the court or in the interview room.

She beat defending champion Maria Sharapova in the third round and proceeded to charm a roomful of reporters (without even trying) talking about her two rats, Flippy and Floppy, and another family pet, delivering the quote of the week when asked whether her bulldog bit people.

“Yeah, my sister. Twice. So that’s why no dog anymore,” she said.

And so, the good news for rat owners and those looking for new faces in the sport is that evidence is growing that Radwanksa is no one-Slam wonder. The 18-year-old took another step forward in her development, defeating 14th-seeded Nadia Petrova of Russia, 1-6, 7-5, 6-0, Monday in the fourth round at the Australian Open.

For Radwanska, who will play No. 9 Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, it is the first time she has reached the quarterfinals of Grand Slam tournament. Her particular mode of arrival was especially remarkable, rallying from a set down and a big deficit in the second.

Just goes to show that there’s a thin line between an exit and a spot in the quarterfinals. Especially when the often-perplexing Petrova is on the other side of the net, though Petrova did need on-court treatment for an injury.

“I was losing 6-1, 3-love, and I was thinking, ‘What I’m doing wrong?’ ” said Radwanska, who beat No. 2 Svetlana Kuznetsova in the third round. “Because it was [going] so quickly. And, she was using the wind very well, and I didn’t.

“I think that was the most important point in this match. Then I was start to play, try to do something else. And then it was very long games, and I won the second set. It was so close. And third set, I don’t know what she was doing, I mean, at all.”

It could have been quite an afternoon for Polish women’s tennis -- or the Ska girls -- but No. 8 Venus Williams had too much experience for qualifier Marta Domachowska, winning, 6-4, 6-4, in 1 hour 19 minutes.

How exactly Williams felt about reaching the quarterfinals here for the first time since 2003 when she went on to lose in the final or the status of her right thigh (which was wrapped with tape) was unclear. Her news conference did not come until after press time because of a doubles match later in the afternoon with her sister Serena.

Williams will play No. 4 Ana Ivanovic of Serbia in the quarterfinals. Ivanovic was tested against teenager Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark, saving two set points in the second before winning, 6-1, 7-6 (2).

Looking ahead

The potential of two compelling women’s quarterfinal matches: No. 1 Justine Henin and last year’s finalist vs. No. 5 Sharapova, and defending champion and No. 7 Serena Williams against No. 3 Jelena Jankovic.

Good day to play three

The top-seeded Federer, who, presumably, should have been drained after his five-set epic in the third round, got something of an assist from No. 13 Tomas Berdych of the Czech Republic.

Federer won, 6-4, 7-6 (7) 6-3, in the fourth round and received a brief scare in the second set when Berdych led 3-1. He later was the recipient of some dubious shot selection in the tiebreaker. Berdych, on his first set point, at 6-5, attempted a drop shot, which landed in the net.

On his second set point, Berdych, getting a short ball, promptly launched a forehand well out. That made it 7-7 in the tiebreak, and two points later, Federer was off to a third set, and victory. Federer will next play No. 12 James Blake, who reached the quarterfinals here for the first time. Blake went five sets in the third round and needed only three Monday, beating Marin Cilic of Croatia, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4.

Quote of the day

“I prepare some lines for myself and then obviously I do it with Gavin, who works for my site, he helps me a lot with what to write so I don’t make some spelling mistakes. But I got him under control,” new newspaper columnist, Ivanovic, who is writing one for the Melbourne Age this fortnight with the help of her media manager Gavin Versi.

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lisa.dillman@latimes.com