Johanna Konta stormed into the third round of the Australian Open for the second straight year with a convincing 6-4, 6-2 win over Naomi Osaka on Thursday. Konta dominated Osaka right from the get-go as she finished the match in just 69 minutes. Key to Konta’s triumph was her much-improved service game. In her previous match against Kirsten Flipkens, Konta only converted 64 percent of her first serves. Konta was much better in that department this time around, winning 33 of her 37 first serve points for an impressive 89 percent success rate. That helped the British No. 1 in applying pressure against Konta as she kept the Japanese on the back foot for majority of the match.
Next up for Konta is a third-round clash with Caroline Wozniacki. This will be the first meeting between Konta and Wozniacki in the WTA Tour. For Konta to record the all-important victory this coming Saturday, she needs to bring her aggressive style and continue her strong net play in the third round. She won eight of her 10 net points against Osaka in the second round. Konta has won 68 percent of her total net points in this year’s Australian Open thus far.
Caroline Wozniacki’s quest for a first Australian Open title is still very much alive after recording an emphatic 6-1, 6-3 victory over Donna Vekic in the second round on Thursday. It was an outstanding performance by Wozniacki who needed just one hour and 16 minutes to produce the straight-sets victory. With the victory, Wozniacki entered the third round of the Australian Open for the first time since 2014. Things are bound to get tougher, though, for the Dane as she will next face the in-form Johanna Konta.
For Wozniacki to grab the upset, she will need to continue her excellent play on the receiving end. She won 58 percent of her receiving points against Vekic with Wozniacki converting six of her 10 break point chances. That being said, Wozniacki has to be aggressive right from the get-go for her to stand a chance against Konta. She will need to put pressure on the British star and she can do that by employing her highly-effective net play. She won 12 of her 15 net points in the previous round against Vekic. For the tournament, Wozniacki has won 79 percent (27-of-34) of her total net points.
Wozniacki is 7-3 in her last 10 matches.
Writer’s Prediction
Konta (-165) edges past Wozniacki in a three-set thriller.
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