The women’s round of 16 begins at the Australian Open as matches feature Caroline Wozniacki, Elise Mertens, Elina Svitolina, and Carla Suarez Navarro among others. Steen Kirby and James Cunningham take you through the matches and offer their predictions.
Petra Martic vs. Elise Mertens
James: This is a difficult match to call, for neither of these players regularly have long runs at Grand Slams. Nonetheless, Mertens has continued the good run of form that saw her claim the title in Hobart, and she recorded a good, albeit close, straight-sets win over Alize Cornet in the previous round. This additional respite, compared with Martic, who took three sets to beat Luksika Kumkhum, will be the deciding factor in this encounter. Mertens in 2
Steen: Mertens hasn’t dropped a set this tournament and her winning streak is now eight matches in a row. Both players are a bit unheralded but on form alone Mertens is the pick. Mertens in 2
Denisa Allertova vs. Elina Svitolina
James: Svitolina is in good form, and having won the most tournaments of any player on the WTA singles tour last year, she will be desperate to make her mark in a Grand Slam. She overcame a potentially difficult challenge in her previous round, in the form of fifteen-year-old Marta Kostyuk, and Allertova should not pose her many problems in this round. Svitolina in 2
Steen: The qualifier Allertova has had a special run but beating Svitolina is a bridge too far. Svitolina hasn’t lost since the start of the season and dropped just a set this tournament. Svitolina should roll. Svitolina in 2
Anett Kontaveit vs. Carla Suarez Navarro
James: Anett Kontaveit pulled off a stunning upset in the previous round, beating Jelena Ostapenko in a wonderful match. She is a great player to watch, for she takes risks, and she is bold with her shotmaking. Suarez Navarro’s one-handed backhand is a thing of beauty, so overall, this should be an enthralling match up. I am pipping Kontaveit, because she seems to have the confidence and the fearlessness that is needed to go far in a Grand Slam tournament. Kontaveit in 3
Steen: Kontaveit comes off the upset win against Ostapenko, while CSN has won two straight matches in three sets. Kontaveit should prevail based on her momentum from the last round. Kontaveit in 2
Magdalena Rybarikova vs. Caroline Wozniacki
James: The Dane has been in incredible form this tournament, and her all-round game will be too much for Magdalena Rybarikova to handle. The Slovakian can take heart from getting this far in a Grand Slam, but she is going to have to replicate some of the form that saw her reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, if she is to make this a contest. Wozniacki in 2
Steen: Wozniacki has a 3-1 h2h against Rybarikova and can make a legitimate claim to being a title contender. Caro has the advantage in this one. Wozniacki in 2
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