Australian Open 2015: Predictions for Top Stars in Day 7 Singles Draw for Sunday
None of tennis' top stars face an easy path through the fourth round of the 2015 Australian Open.
The sport's marquee names often get treated as immortals, but Roger Federer reminded everyone of their vulnerability with a surprising third-round exit. Two of his Big Four adversaries will face stiff competition trying to boot them out behind Federer.
Maria Sharapova will look to storm through a wide-open women's bracket, but a familiar opponent blocks her entry into the quarterfinals. She's one of many title contenders who will get tested during Day 7.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Rafael Nadal (vs. No. 14 Kevin Anderson)
Openly bleak about his chances heading into Melbourne, Rafael Nadal has endured some rough patches to survive his first three matches. Now a game against Kevin Anderson awaits with a quarterfinal spot on the line.
Nearly suffering a second-round upset, the Spanish star rallied to overcome Tim Smyczek after dropping the second and third sets. Following that blip, he dominated Dudi Sela in three lopsided sets, offering hope that he's finally operating at peak form.
Courtesy of the event's official Twitter page, he said the convincing triumph has placed him in a better mindset.
Nadal has only encountered Anderson once before, but the 28-year-old South African cemented himself as a threat by upending Richard Gasquet in the previous round. He also, however, has been pushed to the brink this tournament.
Through three matches, Anderson has already won four sets through tiebreakers. While some would say that shows his resolve in tough situations, the extra work will also take its toll while creating little margin for error against an all-time great.
Don't expect another effortless victory from Nadal, but he'll survive and advance.
Prediction: Nadal in four sets
Maria Sharapova (vs. No. 21 Peng Shuai)
Like Nadal, Sharapova shook off an uneven second round to decimate her next opponent. She wasted no time eliminating her latest victim.
It marked a far cry from her last match, when she lost the second set to Alexandra Panova before salvaging a win. Now she must combat Peng Shuai, who has not passed the Australian Open's fourth round in 10 tries.
While Sharapova is 4-1 against Peng, their two hard-court bouts have proved more competitive. Peng won their first such meeting five years ago, and Sharapova toughed out a three-set victory during 2011's Indian Wells Masters.
"We've always had good matches," Sharapova said, per ESPN.com's Jim Caple. "She's had great success in the last few Slams. You know, she's a bit of an untraditional player with two hands on both sides. That's a little tricky. But yeah, I enjoy playing against her."
That Grand Slam success refers to her semifinal trip in last year's U.S. Open, the best showing of her career. While a pesky out, the 29-year-old doesn't boast the upside to beat a superstar of Sharapova's caliber.
It'll take more than an hour, but the No. 2 seeded Sharapova will get the job done.
Prediction: Sharapova in two sets
Andy Murray (vs. No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov)
Day 7's most intriguing showdown pits two top-10 men against one another in a contested Wimbledon rematch.
After becoming the first British male to take home the crown in 77 years, Murray's title defense fell flat during a quarterfinal loss to Dimitrov, who then succumbed to Novak Djokovic. Looking back on a loss featuring 37 errors, Murray told the Guardian's Kevin Mitchell that he simply had an off match.
"I came to terms with it quickly because I just played badly. There was no reason for me to play that way. I played great in the first week at Wimbledon. I was feeling really good, I was playing extremely well. I happened to play a bad match and that obviously can happen at any time in an individual sport. Unfortunately for me, it happened at Wimbledon, so it was disappointing but it didn’t take me long to get over because I was playing extremely well and just had a bad day.
"
While Murray coasted into this revenge game with no dropped sets, Dimitrov gutted out a five-set win over Marcos Baghdatis last round. He's not likely to get gifted another disastrous effort from the star foe, so don't read too much into last year's outlier.
Both these men at their best will produce a gripping clash, but the veteran fends off the 23-year-old rising star in an even bout.
Prediction: Murray in five sets
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
