It is down to the last eight for both the mens and womens draw in Melbourne Park as we’ve seen surprising exits, searing heat, and a player vomiting. The Australian Open has been a big test to all the players involved.
MENS DRAW
Apart from the shock exit of fifth seed Juan Martin Del Potro, this side of the draw has been rather predictable with seven of the top eight seeds still in the draw. World number one, Rafael Nadal will play upcoming Bulgarian and the 22nd seed Grigor Dimitrov. This will be a huge test for Dimitrov as he has been one of the many players tipped for future success. Nadal, has been on excellent form so far in the tournament, but he had to overcome a tough straight sets victory over Japan’s Nishikori to reach the last eight.
The winner of this match will either face Wimbledon Champion Andy Murray or the resurgent Roger Federer. I reckon Federer might actually beat Murray here judging by his phenomenal performance against Jo-Wilifred Tsonga. Murray has just come back from injury and whilst he has been very impressive, one will wonder how his recovery could hinder his performance.
The other side of the draw sees two former grand slam finalists meet as Tomas Berdych meets David Ferrer. I think Berdych has been very impressive in the last two rounds but if there is one man that will take any player all the way in a match then it will be David Ferrer. It’s a bit too close to call, but I reckon Berdych will reach the semi-final.
The other match on the bottom half of the draw is a rematch from the US Open semi final stage last year. The current Australian Open champion will face Stanislas Wawrinka in what should be an intriguing encounter. After seeing Wawrinka beat Murray in the quarter final stage of the US Open last year, I think Djokovic could potentially see a five-setter in a man that now knows how to step up his game.
I still think it will be a Nadal vs Djokovic final. The two men have been impressive so far and I think they are that cut above the rest of the talent that the last eight has at the moment. I also believe that they will face two incredibly tough tests en route to the final too.
WOMENS DRAW
With two of the tournament’s favourites crashing out of the Australian Open, the door is wide open for someone to shock the world. On a side note, it’s a brilliant thing that women’s tennis is unpredictable and that we have seen the early exits of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova.
The match at the top of the draw sees the woman who knocked out Serena Williams face an uprising star of the game. Serbian Ana Ivanovic will face Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in what should be an interesting encounter. I reckon Bouchard will beat Ivanovic just because Ivanovic has severe confidence issues. Without a doubt Ivanovic is talented, really talented, but her confidence truly affects how she applies herself from a point-to-point basis.
Whoever wins the above tie will face either Li Na or Flavia Penetta. I genuinely don’t think Penetta has a chance against Li Na – the Chinese superstar of tennis will be hoping to reach the final for the third time.
Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova put an end to Maria Sharapova’s hopes of winning in Melbourne but I genuinely think she won’t beat her opponent Simona Halep. The Romanian, who is seeded 11, has certainly improved in the last twelve months and she could be a potential winner of a grand slam in the future.
The winner will face the winner of this blockbuster clash. Defending champion Victoria Azarenka has to beat Agnieszka Radwanska. As I stated in my preview, there is Williams, then there is Azarenka, and there is everybody else, in the women’s game. I still maintain that view point as those two women are unbelievably fantastic. That said, Azarenka will arguably have the toughest challenge in the draw as Radwanska is definitely a future grand slam winner. Something’s got to give in this mouth-watering fixture.
I reckon it will be a repeat of last year’s final and that Azarenka will be Li Na for the second year running. Yet, as I mentioned earlier, the women’s draw is really unpredictable. Nobody would have expected that Serena Williams would lose to Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round. I am still going to stick with the safe money here though and back Azarenka to make it three Australian Open titles in a row.
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