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| Victoria Azarenka |
Analysis of the draw:
Sharapova has the “cakewalk” draw with an Italian duo set to greet her in Brisbane. She is likely to meet Roberta Vinci in the second round (2-0 head-to-head) and then the number 6 seed, Sara Errani in the quarter-finals (2-0 head-to-head). Errani could play Daniela Hantuchova in the second round; the Slovakian player, who reached the Brisbane final last year, could have the edge over Errani on this quick surface.
Serena Williams will open her 2013 campaign against fellow American, Varvara Lepchenko. Her draw is straightforward allowing time for the early season rust to be shaken off. Serena’s projected quarter-final opponent is Sam Stosur, who I have marked down as my early casualty; she takes on Sofia Arvidsson, who is particularly dangerous on fast court surfaces. I would also watch out for the first round match between Sloane Stephens and Dominika Cibulkova, which should be very close.
Angelique Kerber and Petra Kvitova are destined to clash in the final quarter-final. Kerber should have no difficulty in making the quarter-finals as she takes on Anna Tatishvili in the first round. Kvitova has some potential banana skins to avoid; Carla Suarez Navarro will await in the first round, who gave Kvitova a scare in their second round match at the Australian Open last year. Kvitova’s second match, if she is prevail, would be against Lucie Hradecka or Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, both extremely competent on their day.
Azarenka vs. Wozniacki
S.Williams vs. Arvidsson
Kvitova vs. Kerber
Hantuchova vs. Sharapova
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Final Prediction – Maria Sharapova d. Victoria Azarenka
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The first tournament of the season is always very difficult to call; for example, I do not think many people would have backed Kaia Kanepi to win Brisbane last year. Serena will have some significant rust to shake off following minor surgery on her toes and I think she will fall in the semi-finals to Azarenka. My two favourites for the title are Sharapova and Kvitova, who I think will meet in the semi-finals. I fancied Kvitova from the start, but she has a tough draw and there is still some uncertainty in her form so that is why I have gone for Sharapova to win.
You can view my full predictions for Brisbane HERE
Moo’s Tennis Blog is officially up and running now for the 2013 tennis season! Further previews will follow tomorrow 🙂
Moo's Tennis Blog 
My predctitionBrisbaneW: WilliamsRU: SharapovaSF: Azarenka / KvitovaQF: Wozniacki / Cibulkova / Tatishvili / Hantuchova
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Thanks for your comment, interesting predictions!
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My predictions:W: SharapovaRU: WilliamsSemis: Kerber/AzarenkaQF: Errani/Stosur/Wozniacki/KvitovaSharapova has been working to be the best this season and her tennis is perfect on this surface and better every day
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