Second Section

The second section of the top half again plays host to a total of ten Grand Slam titles, in the form of Venus Williams and Maria Sharapova. Simultaneously excited at the prospect of a long-awaited Venus vs Maria scream-fest rematch, and horrified at the fact that they’re due to meet in only the fourth round, this has really been the section that has captured my attention the most. It has also amused me to see many people stating that Maria and Victoria Azarenka would be pleased with their draws. Maybe it’s just me, but if I was Maria, considering I lost in straight sets to Greta Arn just a week ago, I wouldn’t be jumping for joy at the thought of drawing arguably the most accomplished player in the draw. And as for Vika, considering she has never defeated Venus and her matches up horribly against her, again, I wouldn’t be too excited either. The whole “Venus is on her last legs” theory just doesn’t add up. She is currently sitting at 5th in the world with only nine tournaments to her name, so if she is supposedly finished and close to retirement, then what the hell does that say about the rest of the tour?

Anyway, let’s move on. This section is also intriguing because of the dangerous floaters littered throughout it. We have tennis player-turned assassin dancer Andrea Petkovic waiting for Venus in the third round, and Maria will have to fight her way past sextape queen Elena Vesnina and then Julia Goerges or Kaia Kanepi, which is a really, really tough ask. Further down in the draw, it’s worth keeping an eye out for the first round bitch-fest between Aravane Rezai and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova, with Rezai’s total tennis contrasting well with Zahlavova Strycova’s consistent and resourceful game. Another worth watching is Daniela Hantuchova’s tough first-round match against the talented but injury-prone Regina Kulikova.

More than any other section, I’m expecting the top seeds to pull through to meet each other in the fourth round, and from then anything could happen. In the top half, should they meet, the match between Venus and Maria is probably one of the most pivotal in the draw. A victory for Maria could really give her the confidence to finally lose those inhibitions and nerves that have held her back over the last year, and similarly for Venus, it could prove a morale booster and the challenge from Maria could force her to elevate her game to that next level for the remainder of the tournament. It’s anyone’s match, really. The other fourth rounder between Na Li and Vika Azarenka will be similarly unpredicable. We all know Na – she just won Sydney with some brilliant tennis, and could completely blow Azarenka away in under an hour, but she could just as well lose with 927 unforced errors to her credit. It all depends on what side of the bed she wakes up on.

I think both Maria and Venus would prefer to meet Azarenka in the quarters – though both Li and Azarenka are essentially aggressive players, they are on completely different ends of the spectrum, with Azarenka’s consistent and relentless aggression contrasting with Li’s explosive, unpredictable game. Azarenka’s game will always match up dreadfully to Venus’ because Venus not only loves power, but she loves to be given the same ball over and over, with no changes in pace. Though aggressive, Azarenka’s game isn’t big enough to hit through Venus’ athleticism and so defeat is usually inevitable. The results would be similar against a confident, uninhibited Sharapova, with Masha demolishing the Azarenka serve and using the pace of Vika’s balls for her own amusement.

So here we go. Can Venus play her way into form and move into her second straight slam semi-final? Will Maria up her game in the last sixteen and find a way to summon the Sharapova of old? Can Li continue her Sydney form with a second consecutive Australian Open semi-final? And could Azarenka finally move into the semis of the Australian Open with no Serena to stop her for the first time in four years? So many questions. I do think that, should Maria and Venus play in the fourth round, the winner will come out of that match just because it would just be such a massive confidence booster for either player. And though I do think Maria is in with a great chance, is it really advisable to pick her to reach her first slam semi in three years off the back of her performance in Auckland? I’m thinking no.

Pick: Venus Williams.