Agnieszka Radwanska moved to within three victories of a first-ever Australian Open title after recording a grueling three-set win over Anna-Lena Friedsam on Sunday. The fourth-seeded Radwanska will look to grab that coveted spot in the semifinals when she takes on the ever-dangerous Carla Suárez Navarro in a mouth-watering clash this coming Tuesday.
Read on below for an in-depth breakdown of this quarterfinal matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our preview of the last-eight clash between Roger Federer and Tomas Berdych.
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Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Carla Suárez Navarro Betting Preview
Agnieszka Radwanska barged into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open for the fifth time in the last six years with a thrilling 6-7(6), 6-1, 7-5 win over Anna-Lena Friedsam on Sunday. It was a gritty performance by Radwanska who needed two hours and 32 minutes to produce the three-set victory.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Key to Radwanska’s triumph was her excellent return. She won 52 percent (56-of-108) of her receiving points against Friedsam with Radwanska converting seven of her 16 break point opportunities. That helped the Polish star in applying pressure on Friedsam especially in the latter stages of the match. Radwanska also had better control of her game, committing just 22 unforced errors as opposed to Friedsam’s 61.
Next up for Radwanska is a quarterfinal clash with Carla Suárez Navarro. Radwanska leads their head-to-head matchup, 2-1. They have faced each other once in a Grand Slam before with Radwanska beating Suarez Navarro in the second round of the 2012 US Open. Radwanska came from behind to beat Suarez Navarro in that contest, 4-6, 6-3, 6-0.
For Radwanska to emerge victorious again, she will need to continue her superb play on the service end. She put into play 61 percent of her first serves in the fourth round against Friedsam with Radwanska winning an incredible 71 percent (44-of-62) of those points.
Carla Suárez Navarro stormed into the quarterfinals of the Australian Open with a nerve-wracking 0-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Daria Gavrilova on Sunday. It was an impressive performance from the 27-year-old who needed two hours and three minutes to oust the hometown favorite.
Suárez Navarro, who improved to 2-0 against Gavrilova, recorded 25 winners and won 65 percent of her first serve points. What proved to be the difference in the contest, though, was her exquisite return. Suárez Navarro won 48 percent of her receiving points against the Australian with the 10th-seeded Spaniard converting five of her 16 break point opportunities.
Things are bound to get tougher, though, for Suárez Navarro as standing in her way in the next round is world No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska. She is 1-2 in her career against Radwanska. Suárez Navarro will take comfort in the fact, however, that she defeated Radwanska in their last meeting at the Miami Masters last year. She came from behind to beat Radwanska in three tough sets, 5-7, 6-0, 6-4.
For Suárez Navarro to duplicate that feat this coming Tuesday, she will need to bring her aggressive style and continue her strong net play in the quarterfinals. She won eight of her 12 net points against Gavrilova in the previous round. Suárez Navarro has won 73 percent (30-of-41) of her total net points in the entire tournament thus far.
Suárez Navarro is 7-3 in her last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Radwanska (-360) beats Suárez Navarro in straight sets.
