Before each day of play at the Australian Open, we'll preview and predict three must-see matches. For full coverage of the season's first Slam, go to our tournament page.
They’ve played two instant classics, one at the WTA Tour Championships in Istanbul in 2012 and another at last year’s U.S. Open. Both times Azarenka has won 6-4 in the third set. In fact, Azarenka has won all six times they’ve played, and she rolled past the German in their last meeting, 6-3, 6-1, just a few weeks ago in Brisbane. Vika hasn’t lost a set so far this season. Does that mean her form will hold, or does it mean she’s due for a letdown? If anyone is going to exploit, and prolong, a moment of weakness, it’s Kerber.
Winner: Azarenka
While the rest of the women’s draw ended up going mostly according to plan, the bottom quarter gave us a shocker: The 47th-ranked Konta vs. the 133rd-ranked Zhang. Both are in the midst of meteoric rises: Last year at the Australian Open, the 24-year-old Konta lost in the first round of qualifying; before this tournament began, the 27-year-old Zhang had never won a Grand Slam match. Now they’re two sets away from the semis. They’ve played twice before, and each has won once. Zhang would seem to be destiny’s child; in her last match, Madison Keys led by a set before injuring her leg. But Konta would seem to be the better player.
Winner: Konta
The head-to-head record between these two—12-6 in Murray’s favor—might lead you to believe that Ferrer has a better-than-average chance of pulling off the upset. But this matchup has been trending in Murray’s favor for a while now. Since 2012, he’s won seven of eight meetings—including their last five—and their last two on hard courts. Most galling for Ferrer must have been Murray’s first win in five tries against him on clay, at last year’s French Open. After that daring raid into his territory, can the Spaniard turn the tables on Murray-friendly Plexicushion? I don’t think so.
Winner: Murray
The consensus has it that we’re witnessing the maturation of Milos in Melbourne. For two sets against Stan Wawrinka, he was indeed a different, and better, player. He relied on his missile serve less and his newfound volleying skills more. Where did those shots come from, exactly? More importantly, will they stick around? Monfils is 2-0 against Raonic, and so far in Oz he has played with admirable focus against less-than-Olympian opposition. For now, questions abound. Is Raonic ready to reach the level he reached against Wawrinka on a regular basis? Will his net game work against the speedier Monfils? Who is for real this time, Milos or Gael? All will be answered tonight.
Winner: Monfils