Wow. Sunday yielded the biggest upset of the tournament with Ana Ivanovic ousting Serena Williams in a three set win.  A shout-out also to Flavia Pennetta, who took out Angelique Kerber, a result I was not expecting.  The women’s line-up for Monday features four great matches, all of which deserved a full preview in my opinion.  Enjoy!

Poll Result: 63% correctly went for Bouchard to beat Dellacqua in Sunday night’s match on the Rod Laver Arena.

TFF Dream Team Update: AO-EK stands clear in first place with woo in 2nd and moo in 3rd!

1. Jelena Jankovic v Simona Halep

Jelena Jankovic and Simona Halep have attracted very few headlines during this Australian Open with both players making swift progress through the tournament.  Rather curiously, Jankovic has played three Japanese players and won all three of her matches in straight sets.  Saturday’s third round match with Kurumi Nara was her toughest yet as she clawed her way back from 2-5 down in the second set to come through in straight sets, 6-4 7-5.  I was somewhat concerned about Halep after a very disappointing 6-1 6-4 loss to Madison Keys in her first round match in Sydney.  However the WTA’s Most Improved Player from 2013 has taken advantage of a favourable draw to find her range and record back-to-back 4th round appearances at the Slam.

Halep leads the head-to-head with two wins to one.  All three of their previous matches have gone the distance with two 7-5 finishes and one third set tiebreak.  Halep won their most recent match-up on the clay of Rome, 4-6 6-0 7-5.  If you look at the schedule for Monday, Jankovic-Halep is obviously regarded as the weakest of the four women’s matches as it is the only one on the Hisense Arena.  Personally, it is the one I am most excited about and I think it has the potential to be a tense and rather tremendous match.  Halep leads the head-to-head, but Jankovic is the favourite for me and her new found confidence will just about get her across the finishing line.

Never change, Jelena!

Prediction: Jankovic to beat Halep in 3 sets

2. Agnieszka Radwanska v Garbine Muguruza

Aga Radwanska

I was sat firmly on the fence for the Muguruza-Wozniacki match a few days ago and I am still there for this fourth rounder between Agnieszka Radwanska and Garbine Muguruza.  The Spaniard has started 2013 in rolling form, making the quarters of Auckland, winning Hobart and now reaching the last 16 of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career.  She defeated Caroline Wozniacki, 4-6 7-5 6-3 on Saturday with a fine final set performance.  It was the depth on her shots that impressed me the most and she was able to produce consistent angles and get Caroline running all over the shot.  Muguruza was unable to serve out the match, but made up for it with a brilliant return game as she won a series of extended rallies.

Radwanska has lost two sets in her Australian Open campaign so far to Yulia Putintseva (R1) and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (R3).  She hasn’t been particularly convincing so far and I am still concerned about her shoulder injury.  If Muguruza was to do the Wozniacki-Radwanska double at a Slam, it would be a really awesome achievement.  I think Radwanska is more solid than Wozniacki these days and has more in her locker that could upset Muguruza’s rhythm.  Muguruza looked awkward on the run so Agnieszka will want to use plenty of angles and mix it up.  I toyed with the idea of going for Muguruza, but I believe all those matches are going to catch up with her at some point.  Agnieszka for the win.

Prediction: Radwanska to beat Muguruza in 2 tight sets

3. Victoria Azarenka v Sloane Stephens

The media are hyping this fourth round clash between Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens as Monday’s match of the day.  I am on a completely different hymn sheet; granted it promises to be intriguing, but take away the drama from last year and it is unlikely to be a thriller.   Azarenka and Stephens played in last year’s Australian Open semi-finals when Azarenka took a contentious medical timeout  having seen five break points slip through her grasp.  There is the context for you and if you want to know the whole story, then this article from Beyond the Baseline wraps it up nicely.

Azarenka destroyed Yvonne Meusburger, 6-0 6-1 in the third round although it was the perfect match-up for Vika so I wouldn’t get too excited about the scoreline.  Stephens toiled against Yaroslava Shvedova in the first round and for much of her second round match with Ajla Tomljanovic, until she was on the brink of defeat when she found her A-game.  She defeated Elina Svitolina, 6-4 7-5 in straight sets on Saturday to record her fifth consecutive appearance in the last 16 of a Grand Slam.  Sloane’s ability to play her best tennis at the biggest events is a great trait to have.  Personally I think she has been a bit fortunate with her draw and although she has been playing better round-by-round, I don’t think she has had enough matches under her belt to pose a significant threat to Azarenka.

Prediction: Azarenka to beat Stephens in 2 sets

4. Maria Sharapova v Dominika Cibulkova

Domi Cibulkova

I’m not one for the all the drama, but I would have loved to have seen Maria Sharapova‘s face when she saw Ivanovic beat Serena.  Her chances of claiming a second Grand Slam title have improved greatly, but she has a lot of hard work left to do to just reach the final.  Sharapova’s form has been scratchy through the last two rounds.  She endured that epic match with Karin Knapp in the second round and then beat Alize Cornet in the third round, 6-1 7-6(6).  The second set was particularly patchy from Maria, but as ever, she got the job done.

Next up is Dominika Cibulkova, who has sauntered through the draw and lost just two games in her last two matches to Stefanie Voegele and Carla Suarez Navarro, both very competent players.  Cibulkova has beaten Sharapova twice before on the clay although both wins came when Sharapova was coming back from her shoulder injury. Cibulkova’s form this year has been very encouraging, but I still have question marks over her ability to stay calm against the top players.

Prediction: Sharapova to beat Cibulkova in 3 sets

I expect there to be an upset among these four matches, but I couldn’t pick out which match.