The rematch of the recently concluded tournament in Brisbane is set for this Wednesday, when Angelique Kerber and Victoria Azarenka got at it again in the quarterfinal round of the Australian Open.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Both women are entering their showdown red-hot, but only one of them will progress to the semis. Will it be the German, or the Belarusian? Find out more with our comprehensive preview below.
After a dominant 6-4, 6-0 victory over Annika Beck in the fourth round of the Australian Open, Angelique Kerber is on quite a tear right now. The German barely struggled to come away with the win over her fellow countrywoman, knocking in 9 of her 11 net point opportunities and committing just 20 unforced errors versus Beck’s 34.
[sc:Other240banner ]Kerber has shown great form at just the right time as the tournament’s most crucial stages are on the horizon, having tallied 52 winners over her last two matches. Even better, the 28-year-old has just dropped one set this entire tournament.
Now is the time for Kerber to prove that she is truly deserving of her World No. 6 ranking. Her date with Victoria Azarenka on Wednesday is only her fifth-career Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance, and she has not been to the semis since the 2012 edition of Wimbledon.
Given that Azarenka just dealt her a crushing defeat at the finals in Brisbane earlier this month (more on that later), expect Kerber to come out with everything that she’s got to finally get one over her Belarusian opponent.
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Betting on Victoria Azarenka
For as good as Kerber has been of late, Victoria Azarenka has been much, much better. With the 6-2, 6-4 straight-sets victory over Barbora Strycova on Monday, the World No. 16 improved her 2016 record to a perfect 9-0.
Azarenka prevailed over the Czech behind great and nearly error-free execution. She put in 83 percent of her points on first serve and committed just 14 unforced errors compared to Strycova’s 33. In fact, Azarenka only has 14 or fewer unforced errors in three of her past four contests.
An argument can be made that the reason why the Belarusian has been so streaky of late is because of the relatively weak competition that she has faced. Nevertheless, she’s in prime position to finally break on through to a Grand Slam semifinal after a rather lengthy drought. Azarenka lost all four of her past quarterfinal matches in Grand Slam events, and has not been to the semifinal round since the 2013 US Open.
Luckily, the Minsk native has a significant advantage over Kerber entering Wednesday’s bout. She has yet to lose to the German in six career meetings, with five of those victories coming on the hard court and four of them having been won in straight sets.
Just this past week, it was Kerber who Azarenka defeated at Brisbane for her first title of the year – also in straight sets. In addition, the Belarusian has ousted Kerber in the quarterfinal round of previous WTA tournaments on two other separate occasions as well.
Writer’s Prediction
Azarenka (-400) with another impressive straight-sets victory, 6-4, 6-3.
