After an enthralling week of tennis in Melbourne, the Australian Open is now fast approaching the business end of the tournament. Day seven will see eight players battle for a spot in the quarterfinals and, as always, we here at LWOT will be offering our predictions for all four matches. But who will secure their spot in the last eight?
Australian Open Day 7 Predictions
Coco Gauff vs Jelena Ostapenko
Damian: Is Jelena Ostapenko going to deliver? That’s a question that has always been incredibly tough to answer. If she’s feeling it, she’s definitely one of the players who can trouble Coco Gauff with the extreme pace she will direct at her forehand corner. Is she going to be consistent enough with it? The safe answer is no, but the Latvian should feel free to prove me otherwise.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Yesh: Gauff looks in such impressive form right now. Ostapenko is one of the few players who can actually hit Gauff off the court, but she’s not consistent enough to trust to do it.
Prediction: Gauff in 3
Jim: In these conditions, it is hard to look past Ostapenko. The Latvian can make much better use of the true bounce and relatively slow pace than Gauff. If she can play with enough discipline, expect Ostapenko to overpower Gauff.
Prediction: Ostapenko in 3
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Iga Swiatek vs Elena Rybakina
Damian: Iga Swiatek has shown that she can still very comfortably dispatch any opponent who can’t put her under pressure. This is going to be a struggle for her though, especially as Elena Rybakina has some of the strongest serve/return games on tour and hits a very flat ball that works perfectly with the conditions at Melbourne this year.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
Yesh: Swiatek is basically unbeatable right now. It doesn’t matter how good Rybakina is or what she does in this match. The Pole is in a class of her own right now.
Prediction: Swiatek in 2
Jim: Swiatek has not been particularly convincing so far at the Australian Open. Rybakina, in contrast, has looked excellent. The Pole is unlucky to be coming up against another reigning Grand Slam champion in the fourth round.
Prediction: Rybakina in 3
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Jessica Pegula vs Barbora Krejcikova
Damian: On a matchup basis, Barbora Krejcikova has plenty of variety that she can use to mix things up against Jessica Pegula, avoiding the fast-paced baseline rallies that the American excels at. Is it going to be enough here? It might not be as the third seed is just flying right now, but it could lead to a fantastic clash anyway.
Prediction: Pegula in 3
Yesh: Swiatek might be in a class of her own, but Pegula is right behind her. It’s a shame those two will meet in a semifinal, but no one else is stopping the American.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
Jim: Krejcikova is good enough to win this match, but she will need to play her very best tennis. Unfortunately for the Czech, it has been some time since she played at that level. Expect Pegula to prove too sharp for Krejcikova.
Prediction: Pegula in 2
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Victoria Azarenka vs Zhu Lin
Damian: She’s not been mentioned as a title contender that much, but there are some US Open 2020 vibes to Victoria Azarenka’s run again. The return is firing and her baseline game is still of elite quality. Zhu Lin eliminating Maria Sakkari is definitely a bit of a lucky break, but I think the Belarusian would have been the favorite to advance regardless, just not a sizeable one like here.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
Yesh: Azarenka is rolling back the years right now, and she’s helped by the draw opening up in front of her. She should be favoured in this matchup, too.
Prediction: Azarenka in 3
Jim: Azarenka is the heavy favourite here. As impressive as Zhu Lin has been, it is hard to see her getting the better of the Belarusian.
Prediction: Azarenka in 2
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