With Simona Halep and Venus Williams out of the bottom half of the draw, opportunity is knocking. Who will take advantage? We preview the Day 4 action here.
Thursday, Day 4
Second Round
[3] Garbiñe Muguruza (ESP #3) vs. Kirsten Flipkens (BEL # 80)
Head-to-head: Tied, 1-1
Key Stat: Muguruza has never reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne.
Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza is now the highest-seeded player remaining in the lower half of the draw, but that doesn’t mean she’ll have a cakewalk to the second week. The Spaniard will run up against an experienced veteran with a Grand Slam pedigree on Day 4 in 2013 Wimbledon semifinalist Kirsten Flipkens. The Belgian has started the season on a bit of a tear, qualifying for Auckland and reaching the quarters before outlasting fellow veteran Mirjana Lucic-Baroni in three sets in the first round on Tuesday. Muguruza has reached the round of 16 at Melbourne in her last two appearances, but after her breakout season in 2015 the pressure will be on her to surpass those results. It’s not something she’s bothered by. “Really no expectations,” Muguruza says. “Just try to keep my tennis level of what I’ve felt the last season, and that’s it.”
Pick: Muguruza in two
[9] Karolina Pliskova (CZE # 12) vs. Julia Goerges (GER # 45)
Head-to-head: Pliskova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Pliskova hit 13 aces in her first match of the tournament.
Is it time for Karolina Pliskova to have her Grand Slam breakthrough? The 23-year-old achieved a Top 10 ranking for seven weeks in 2015, but the Czech has never been past the third round at a major. Though she stresses patience and process in her dialog with the media, Pliskova would clearly love to get the monkey off her back in Melbourne. On Thursday she’ll square off against an in-form Julia Goerges for a spot in the third round. The German is ranked 33 spots lower than Pliskova, but the powerful, aggressive Goerges proved her mettle in 2015 by reaching the second week at two majors. She also started the season on a mission, reaching her sixth career final—and first since 2012—in Auckland.
Pick: Pliskova in three
[14] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #16) vs. Danka Kovinic (SRB# 54)
Head-to-head: First meeting
Key Stat: Azarenka has already won four 6-0 sets this season.
Everything seems to be falling into place for two-time Aussie Open champion Victoria Azarenka. The health is perfect. The game is flowing—and lethal. The results? Well, it’s hard to argue with the double-bagel shellacking Azarenka put on Belgium’s Alison Van Uytvanck on Tuesday night in Melbourne. Azarenka herself was pleased, but she was happier about the process rather than the gaudy scoreline. “I don’t think I’m looking for perfection,” she told reporters. “I’m looking for effort. I’m looking for focus. I like that I was very composed today from first point to the last point. Like it didn’t matter what the score was, I was there on every point. So that’s what I’m very happy about today.” On Thursday Azarenka will put that fierce concentration to work against Serbia’s Danka Kovinic. Kovinic eased past Samantha Crawford in straight sets on Day 2.
Pick: Azarenka in two
[20] Ana Ivanovic (SRB #23) vs. [Q] Anastasija Sevastova (LAT # 113)
Head-to-head: Sevastova leads, 1-0
Key Stat: Two of Ivanovic’s Grand Slam losses in 2015 were to players outside of the top-100.
Ivanovic, who exited Melbourne in the first-round at the hands of qualifier Lucie Hradecka last year, is hoping to turn a favorable draw into a deep run in Melbourne. So far, so good as Ivanovic ousted world No. 459 Tammi Patterson in straight sets on Day 2 with very little difficulty. “Of course you’re going to have nerves for every match because it means so much to you,” Ivanovic said after the match. “But it’s about just trying to handle them. I did that well today.” The Serb will look to do the same on Day 4 against Anastasija Sevastova, a 25-year-old Latvian qualifier who reached a peak ranking of 36 in 2011 after making the round of 16 at the Australian Open.
Pick: Ivanovic in three
Around the Grounds: China’s Zhang Shuai will look to continue her magical ride in Melbourne when she faces France’s Alizé Cornet in the second round. Zhang, who admitted she had contemplated retirement after last year’s US Open, upset No.2-seeded Simona Halep for her first career win at a major in 15 appearances on Tuesday… No.7 seed Angelique Kerber, who saved a match point to get past Japan’s Misaki Doi on Day 2, will face Romania’s Alexandra Dulgheru… 15th-seeded American Madison Keys, a semifinalist here last year, squares off with hard-hitting Yaroslava Shvedova. Shvedova won their only previous meeting when Keys retired while trailing by a set at Wimbledon in 2014.
