World No. 5 Maria Sharapova begins another chase for her second Australian Open title this Sunday, when she faces relative unknown Nao Hibino at Margaret Court in Melbourne. Will Sharapova start her campaign with an emphatic victory? Or will Hibino send shockwaves across the tournament with an upset win? Read on for more about this matchup. You can also check out our preview of Rafael Nadal vs. Fernando Verdasco.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Four-time Grand Slam winner Sharapova is ready to make noise in Melbourne. But of course, for Sharapova to snare her second career Australian Open, her body needs to hold up throughout the tournament.
Sharapova recently withdrew from the Brisbane International early this month, citing a bothersome left forearm—just one of the few ailments that has troubled the 28-year-old since last year. Granted that Sharapova is fully healthy for the Australian Open, she is expected to breeze past Japan’s Nao Hibino, who’s ranked just 55th in the world.
Priced +800 to win her second Australian Open title this year, Sharapova has often displayed terrific tennis on hard surfaces, as evidenced by her career 354–92 record on hard courts. Last year, Sharapova went 20-5 on hardcourts, including wins over Karolina Pliskova and Petra Kvitova in last November’s Fed Cup, where she represented Russia against the Czech Republic.
While Hibino’s name may ring bells of only hardcore tennis fans, her relative anonymity could actually be an advantage against Sharapova.
Speaking in front of reporters on Saturday, Sharapova admitted that first round matches aren’t as easy as it seems, particularly when she has little idea about her opponent.
Hibino, however, lacks the experience necessary to outwit someone like Sharapova on the court. The 21-year-old has just two Grand Slam appearances in her young career, both happened last year, when he reached the second and third round of the Wimbledon and U.S. Open, respectively.
In the U.S. Open, Hibino defeated Tereza Martincova in the first round (6-3 6-4) and Eri Hozumi in the second (6-2 7-5), before falling prey to Kateryna Bondarenko 6-1 6-1 in the Round of 32.
Hibino’s highly unlikely to defeat Sharapova, as she’s +1,200 odds to do just that, but betting small on the Japanese isn’t that bad of an idea when considering Sharapova’s questionable health status.
