We’ve been making our Australian Open picks the entire tournament and now we move into the quarterfinals. Four of the eight quarterfinals are Tuesday (both men and women), but these next matches are on Wednesday’s card, in the bottom half of the women’s draw.
In the first two quarter-finals, we saw the two top seeds dominate. Serena Williams squared off with Maria Sharapova in what was one of the most anticipated matches of the 2016 Australian Open. However, Williams made quick work of Sharapova by a 6-4, 6-1 result. Although some had been hoping for a competitive match, the victory now marked the 18th consecutive time that the American has topped the Russian.
In the other quarter-final that’s already transpired, No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska discarded No. 10 seed Carla Suarez-Navarro 6-1, 6-3. The surging starlet will be in a Grand Slam semifinal for just the fourth time in her career. She faced little resistance from Suarez-Navarro, dropping just one game in the first set while taking it in just 28 minutes. Next up for her will be one of her toughest tests to date: a showdown with Williams, who is playing very well right now. She’s lost all eight previous meetings with Serena.
One match is clearly the undercard, and one match is just as clearly the main event.
Victoria Azarenka vs. Angelique Kerber
Odds: Azarenka -400
One of the quarterfinal matches is not like the other. This is the prime matchup everyone wants to see. Tennis fans know that one of the very best women’s matches in 2015, especially at one of the big four events on the calendar, was a third-round U.S. Open matchup between these two players. Azarenka and Kerber scrambled all over the court and behind the baseline to retrieve shot after shot and use deep knee bends to get back balls that were very low to the ground. Dozens of prolonged rallies, with intensity, variety, defense, offense, angles, resets, and all the other things which create great points, were part of a tremendous competition which electrified fans and left both players absolutely exhausted at the very end.
The main concern from that match is that Azarenka was not supremely fit when she played that match, and Kerber did not have as much confidence as she does now after making the quarterfinals of this Australian Open. Kerber might be a tougher opponent for Azarenka, but Azarenka might be a little bit faster to the ball in ways which didn’t quite show up at the U.S. Open. One other thing to note in this match is that Azarenka has not yet lost a set in 2016, at the Australian Open or anywhere else. Things have been going so smoothly for her this season that if she loses a set or is challenged at a level which she hasn’t yet seen this year, we don’t know how she’ll react. If Kerber can win the first set, a completely different kind of match might develop. As things stand, though, Azarenka’s form has been imperious, her command of every shot very pronounced thus far. It’s very hard to bet against Azarenka here, even though Kerber’s playing well. Take Azarenka in the first set, which means take Azarenka with your Australian Open picks to win in straights.
Pick: Azarenka in straight sets
Johanna Konta vs. Shuai Zhang
Odds: Konta -208
This is a matchup in which no one predicted before the tournament. Konta beat Venus Williams in the first round, then beating former Australian Open semifinalist Ekaterina Makarova in the fourth round. Konta is the first female British singles tennis player to make the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam event since Jo Durie in 1984. It’s quite an accomplishment for a player who is putting all the pieces of her game together. Zhang has won the first four major matches of her career at this tournament. She had none coming in, despite making over a dozen previous appearances in “big four” events. Zhang is an inspiration, but Konta is the better tennis player, having shown so much against Makarova in the fourth round. Go with Konta here for your Australian Open picks.
Pick: Konta in straight sets
