The last 16 line-up for the women in Madrid looks pretty epic so I have covered all of them in a full SWEEP of a preview.  It must have been tough for the schedulers although I think the matches on the Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario Court are much better than the Manolo Santana Court in my opinion.  The world number three, Agnieszka Radwanska has been dumped out on Pista 5 too, which is a little surprising.  Anyway, a great day of tennis awaits.  Let’s hope it lives up to the billing with some superb matches.

1. Caroline Garcia v Sara Errani

Sara Errani

Caroline Garcia finds herself in the third round of Madrid having not played a completed main draw match yet.  After qualifying for the main draw with two straight set wins, she has benefitted from withdrawals from both Angelique Kerber and Maria Kirilenko.  In her match with Kerber, Garcia was playing really well in the first set before Kerber was forced to retire at 6-3 1-0 down.  Garcia is on a marvellous run of form having won her last 11 matches.  She won her first title in Bogota and defeated Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys in straight sets in Fed Cup before her appearance in Madrid.

Next up for Garcia is the ultimate test on clay up against Sara Errani.  Unsurprisingly, the Italian player’s results have improved since the tour’s transition on to the clay.  Errani made the semi-finals in Stuttgart and has yet to drop a set in Madrid with victories over Andrea Petkovic and Francesca Schiavone.  This match should be very keenly contested and I am intrigued to see how it unfolds.  Garcia is playing with heaps of confidence and has the kind of free-flowing and positive game that has troubled Errani this year.  Sara constantly shows me up for deserting her in predictions, but Garcia’s got it all right now.

Prediction: Garcia d. Errani in 3 sets

2. Lucie Safarova v Petra Kvitova

Lucie Safarova and Petra Kvitova will play each other for the third time this year on Thursday in Madrid..  After being dropped a 6-1 breadstick opening set to Flavia Pennetta, Safarova has produced four brilliant sets of tennis.  She defeated Pennetta, 1-6 6-0 6-3, securing her ninth three set win of the year and then beat Magdalena Rybarikova for the second time in as many weeks, 6-1 6-2.  It should come as no surprise that Kvitova has done things the hard way this week.  She has needed back-to-back three setters to get past Sorana Cirstea and Varvara Lepchenko.  The fact she has survived both matches should at the very least, give her much needed confidence.  Kvitova has won all three previous matches against Safarova, including two encounters this year in Sydney and Doha.  Their last match was pretty tight, going three sets in Doha.  Both have done well on this surface before.  Kvitova’s best beats Safarova’s best, but there is a fair argument that Lucie has been marginally more consistent this year.  Tough one to call and I like both players.  Happy either way.

Prediction: Safarova d. Kvitova in 3 sets

3. Sloane Stephens v Li Na

Sloane Stephens has taken advantage of a favourable draw to post two encouraging wins in Madrid.  In the second round, she defeated Petra Cetkovska in three sets, 6-4 2-6 6-3.  They last played in Doha when Cetkovska won in straight sets with a very apparent lack of effort from Sloane’s side of the net.  Li Na, playing in her first clay court tournament of the year, has looked both fresh and sharp.  She has notched up straight set wins over Kirsten Flipkens and Zheng Jie.  This will be a first career match-up between the pair.  I’d be surprised if Sloane gets a set.

Prediction: Li d. Stephens in 2 tight sets

4. Sam Stosur v Maria Sharapova

After a worrying first round loss in Oeiras, Sam Stosur has enjoyed a much more fruitful week in Madrid.  She has knocked out two of 2014’s in-form players, Dominika Cibulkova and Garbine Muguruza, to progress to a third round showdown with Maria Sharapova.  Defending finals point, Sharapova was on the brink of defeat at 4-1 down in the deciding set of her second round match with Christina McHale.  The American put in a good display, but was unable to convert the upset win.  Sharapova leads the head-to-head with Stosur convincingly, 12-2.  Stosur has, at least, broken her duck against Maria with victories in Istanbul and Tokyo in the last two years.  Stosur will always have chances on clay; however I think that Sharapova will improve after a disappointing performance in the second round.

Prediction: Sharapova d. Stosur in 2 tight sets

5. Serena Williams v Carla Suarez Navarro

Most of the talk around Serena Williams‘s second round win over Peng Shuai was around her prominent thigh strapping.  Serena has played very well so far this week, winning her first two matches comfortably.  Next up is Carla Suarez Navarro, who is in fabulous form right now having won her first WTA title last week in Oeiras.  In her first round match against Yvonne Meusburger, she looked tired.  However she showed a lot of character to come through that match in two tight sets.  In the second round, CSN comfortably came past Alison Riske, 6-2 6-4.  Carla has played a lot of tennis in the last few weeks and for that reason, Serena should sail through this encounter with ease.

Prediction: Serena d. Suarez Navarro in 2 sets

6. Agnieszka Radwanska v Roberta Vinci

Faced with a really testing draw on her least favourite surface, Agnieszka Radwanska has done a fine job so far this week.  Aga came from 1-4 down in the third set and saved three match points to win an entertaining and well contested second round match with Svetlana Kuznetsova, 6-3 4-6 7-6(6).  Kuznetsova had two makeable plays to win this match in the tiebreak.  She will be bummed.  Another potential Radwanska-Wozniacki match was scuffed as Roberta Vinci secured her best win of the year, defeating the Dane, 6-3 6-3.  Radwanska and Vinci met just two weeks ago in Stuttgart.  Radwanska won that match in straight sets.  I believe this encounter will be marginally tighter, but have the same outcome.

Prediction: Radwanska d. Vinci in 2 sets (1 tight, 1 easy)

7. Simona Halep v Sabine Lisicki

Madrid marked the first tournament in 2014 that Sabine Lisicki has won back-to-back matches in.  After an injury hit year, it’s nice to see and particularly with the grass court season less than a month away.  After an early exit in Stuttgart, Simona Halep has rebounded impressively this week in Madrid.  She produced some fine tennis in the first round to win ten straight games against Julia Goerges and then beat Lara Arrubarrena in two tight sets, 6-4 6-4 in the second round.  There is definitely a sense that Sabine has built some confidence this week, but Halep is  a very tricky opponent on clay.

Prediction: Halep d. Lisicki in 2 tight sets

8. Ana Ivanovic v Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova scored a huge win over Jelena Jankovic in Madrid‘s late night match on Wednesday.  It really does frustrate me that they have matches so late.  There was barely any atmoshere in the crowd and I gave up towards the end of the second set. This was a shame because it was a pretty good match.  Pavlyuchenkova now takes on Ana Ivanovic, who has recorded straight set wins over Madison Keys and Bojana Jovanovski.  Ivanovic leads the head-to-head 5-0 and is looking in fantastic form.

Prediction: Ivanovic d. Pavlyuchenkova in 3 sets