2010 Australian Open – Nick’s Picks – Women’s Singles Quarterfinals
Stay tuned to Nick’s Pick throughout the 2010 Australian Open for in-depth coverage of the tournament!
Serena Williams (USA) vs. Victoria Azarenka (BLR)
Serena knocked out Sam Stosur in straight sets in the fourth round and she has yet to drop a set in this tournament. In fact, she has only lost a total of 15 games in four matches. To say she is the favorite is an understatement, and if I was a betting man I would put my money on her!
Azarenka barely survived her fourth round match against Vera Zvonareva as she was down a set and a break before battling back to win in three sets. This is her third appearance in the quarters of a Grand Slam, and if she wins, it will be the first time she reaches the semis of a Grand Slam in her career.
Match-Up:
Serena is 3-1 against Azarenka and has eliminated her from the Australian Open the last two years. Azarenka did beat her in the finals at Miami last year though so she has that to help her confidence. Everyone has been commenting how aggressive and relentless Serena has been throughout the tournament. I definitely feel she is at her best when she plays like this. Her serve is one of, if not, the best on the women’s tour and when you combine that with her groundstrokes she is nearly unbeatable. Azarenka will try her best, but Serena is just too strong.
Nick’s Pick – S. Williams in 2 sets
Venus Williams (USA) vs. Na Li (CHN)
Venus dropped the first set to Francesca Schiavone in the fourth round, but then looked great in the next two sets, beating the Italian 3-6, 6-2, 6-1. Amazingly, Venus hasn’t been to the semis down under since her run to the finals back in 2003 where she lost to her sister in three sets. Could this be the year that Venus wins her first Aussie Open?
Na upset fourth seeded Caroline Wozniacki in straight sets in the fourth round to reach her third career, and second straight, Grand Slam quarterfinal. A win here would put her in the semis of a Grand Slam for the first time and would be a huge boost for tennis in China with Zheng already securing a spot in that round.
Match-Up:
Li is 1-0 against Venus with that win coming back at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. Venus can’t worry about the past, she needs to focus on the future. Li has the game to keep Venus off-balance, but if the American is playing her best she is clearly the favorite to advance. Venus needs to serve better and keep the unforced errors to a minimum to win this match. I look for Venus to win, but it’s going to be tough.
Nick’s Pick – V. Williams in 3 sets
Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. Justine Henin (BEL)
Petrova has played extremely well in the last two rounds, beating Kim Clijsters and Svetlana Kuznetsova in back-to-back rounds. This is her second appearance in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, and she is looking to reach the semis for the first time in her career. In fact, Petrova has only been to the semis of a Grand Slam twice before, and those were both at the French Open (2003 and 2005).
Henin’s comeback has gone perfectly to script thus far, and she is definitely one of the favorites to win this tournament. She showed a little vulnerability in the fourth round when she slipped by Yanina Wickmayer in three sets. I don’t think that it’s a bad thing for her to lose some sets in the early rounds, because she hasn’t played a lot of tennis recently and she could use the match play.
Match-Up:
Henin is 12-2 against Petrova and just beat her earlier this year 7-5, 7-5 in Brisbane. Despite that lopsided record, I really feel that Petrova has an excellent chance to win this match. She has already beaten two contenders and really has it going on. She is serving well, her groundstrokes are extremely solid and she has the mental approach to win. The longer this match goes, the more it favors Petrova. If Henin is able to get off to a fast start and use her versatility and movement to keep Petrova off balance than she will win. This match could go either way.
Nick’s Pick – Henin in 2, Petrova in 3
Maria Kirilenko (RUS) vs. Jie Zheng (CHN)
It seems like every year we have a women’s quarterfinal that features two players you didn’t expect to be here. Kirilenko beat Sharapova in the first round, but really hasn’t been tested since. She was up 5-4 in the first set against second-seeded Dinara Safina in the fourth round, but Safina was forced to retire from the match with a back injury. Now, Kirilenko finds herself one win away from the first Grand Slam semifinal of her career.
Zheng made a great run to the semis of Wimbledon back in 2008, but this is her best result at a Grand Slam since. She beat Marion Bartoli in the third round and then Alona Bondarenko in the fourth round to get here. She is an excellent doubles player and she did win the doubles title at the 2006 Aussie Open, so she has had success in Melbourne.
Match-Up:
Zheng is 4-1 against Kirilenko and beat her once last year in Madrid. The weakest point of Zheng’s game has been her serve, but she seems to have worked on that during the off-season and she is serving better. Her movement is fantastic, she is comfortable at the net, and she is an extremely fierce competitor. I think with Zheng’s footwork and her groundstrokes, she has the edge in this match. Kirilenko has the talent to win this match for sure, but Zheng has been here before and I see her advancing.
Nick’s Pick – Zheng in 3 sets
