World No. 16 Victoria Azarenka charged into the third-round of the 2016 Australian Open after cruising past her second-round opponent in Danka Kovinic. Azarenka will look to sustain her fine form when she takes on for the first time with rising star Naomi Osaka. Who will emerge victorious in this one? Read on below for more about this tasty match.
[sc:AUS15-250 ]Onto the third-round for Victoria Azarenka! The two-time Australian Open champion showcased her dominance in the second round, ousting Danka Kovinic in straight sets (6-1, 6-2).
It was undoubtedly a terrific all-around performance from Azarenka. Both her service and return game were on full display in that win. She won 92% of her first serve points and 55% of her second serve points while also winning 56% of her return points. Furthermore, the Belarusian star was able to convert on 5 of 10 break point opportunities.
Moving forward, Azarenka now sets her sights on another win opposite Naomi Osaka, who stunned the entire tennis world by pulling off the upset opposite World No. 21 Elina Svitolina in the previous round. This will mark the first time that these two stars will be going head-to-head.
Azarenka, who has dropped just three games in the tournament so far, ought to remain faithful to her current form. Her service and return game have been on-point in his last two matches and that could likely catch Osaka off guard from the very start. But it still won’t be surprising to see this match go straight down the wire.
If that’s the case, Azarenka’s enormous amount of experience and achievements throughout her respective career should work to her favor and eventually help her gut a win out.
Naomi Osaka. That name is probably still trending right now.
Osaka barges into this matchup with some serious momentum on her side thanks to a huge 6-4, 6-4 straight-sets win over the heavily favored Elina Svitolina in the second round.
In that win, Osaka displayed her efficient service game and her aggressive style of play by winning 67 percent of her first serve points and net points. She also blasted 27 winners during the match. But setting the positives aside, Osaka’s been prone to making a lot of mistakes as she’s accumulated 59 unforced errors over her previous two contests. This cannot be the case when she steps toe-to-toe with a much tougher opponent in the form of Victoria Azarenka.
For her to pull off another upset in Melbourne, Osaka will need to be extra careful with her decision-making and more importantly showcase her raw power from the get go. She’s already fired a total of 60 winners in her previous two matches. That strength alone might just be enough to help her hang around long enough to steal the win.
Osaka has won nine of her last 10 matches on the hard court.
