With the Australian Open quarterfinals already here, I’ll take a quick look and how I see things shaping up for both the men and women playing today.
Henin/Petrova:
If you had said in December that one of the AO quarters would be Henin and Petrova, you would have gotten weird looks. It’s Ms. Intensity versus Ms. Sunshine. The pressure will now be on Henin to get to the final while Petrova can just swing away knowing she’s had a great event already. That might give her the edge. Petrova in three.
Zheng/Kirilenko:
Another unlikely pairing that will earn the victor a big rankings boost. Zheng has won the last four times these two have played but Kirilenko is still enjoying the spotlight that has eluded her for awhile. The Russian will want to keep the lights on her for another day. Kirilenko in three.
Roddick/Cilic:
Cilic is a better player than he was the last time Roddick played him in 2008, a match Cilic won. But Roddick has displayed true survivor skills in his last few rounds even though his return game has let him down. It won’t be enough for Roddick to serve big to get through this one. But the American is on a mission and he won’t be happy with it ending early. Roddick in four.
Nadal/Murray:
Some said Murray, seeded No.5, has the hardest task of all as he may have to go through the top three players to win his first Slam. The last time Murray beat Nadal was on a hard court. But even though the AO surface is playing a tad slow, Murray’s form is peaking at the right time. It could go five, but Murray will want to make a statement that 2010 is his year. Murray in five.
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