Australian Open 2015: Predictions for Top Stars in Day 9 Singles Draw
For all of the upsets in the opening rounds of the Australian Open, the quarterfinals feature a lot of high seeds.
In the men's draw, only Roger Federer is missing from the top eight seeds with the unseeded Nick Kyrgios taking his place in quarterfinals. The women's bracket is a bit more varied with unseeded Madison Keys competing against No. 18 Venus Williams in the upcoming round, although everyone else remaining is rated 11th or higher.
Still, we have seen throughout the past week that no one is safe from an upset. The four singles matches set to take place Tuesday are all likely to be extremely intense with any combination capable of coming through with a win.
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Here is a look at the upcoming set of matches in order of competition starting at 11 a.m. local time, all taking place at Rod Laver Arena.
No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova vs. No. 3 Simona Halep
Ekaterina Makarova has cruised through the Australian Open so far, winning all of her matches without dropping a set. After a number of strong performances at Grand Slams a year ago, she is ready to make another deep run this time around.
The problem is the exact same paragraph can be written about Simona Halep. The Romanian is the only other female competitor to win four matches without dropping a set, and this is the fourth time in five majors Halep has reached the quarterfinals.
Just as importantly, the No. 3 seed has been exceptional throughout the current season, as noted by ESPN:
"No.3 seed Simona Halep furthers her 2015 record to 8-0 with a 64 75 win over American Bethanie Mattek-Sands. #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/a1S3YS3aQA
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 23, 2015"
Both players have been solid with their serves so far this tournament, but Halep has been a lot more consistent lately while winning 79 percent of her first-serve points in each of the last three matches. Makarova will be able to win plenty of games, but in the end will not be able to handle the great placement of each of Halep's strikes.
This should be an excellent match to watch, but Halep should be able to pull out the victory.
Prediction: Halep wins 7-5, 4-6, 6-4
No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard vs. No. 2 Maria Sharapova
Despite some stumbles in her latest match, Eugenie Bouchard has been excellent in Melbourne. Ben Rothenberg of The New York Times believes she can win the title, even though he had to note the struggles after her match:
In reality, coming through with a win after the lost second set showed the 20-year-old competitor has a lot of heart. Bouchard lost her touch but found a way to bounce back with a dominant third set to stay alive in the tournament.
Considering how many players in any sport would collapse after things stopped going their way, this was a big moment.
Of course, Maria Sharapova hasn't needed to prove herself much in recent matches, only dropping a total of five games over the past two rounds. That being said, the past week has featured a lot of mistakes for the No. 2 seed, including plenty of unforced errors and double faults.
If Bouchard gets off to a hot start and competes at her best, the Canadian will be able to pull off the upset.
Prediction: Bouchard wins 6-3, 2-6, 7-5
No. 7 Tomas Berdych vs. No. 3 Rafael Nadal
Tomas Berdych is very familiar with reaching the quarterfinals in major tournaments, with 2015 being the fifth year in a row he has reached this point at the Australian Open. However, he doesn't often get beyond this point.
Since starting his competition in Grand Slams in 2003, Berdych has only reached the semifinals four times, once in each event.
Despite his dominant run throughout the first four rounds of this tournament, it's important to remember he hasn't yet faced a seeded player and things are about to get much harder.
Rafael Nadal seemed like he was due for a quick knockout in Melbourne after a poor showing in Doha and needing five sets to escape a second-round battle against Tim Smyczek. However, he has turned in on lately with two straight easy wins.
After the recent win over Kevin Anderson, Nadal was happy with his improved play, via ATPWorldTour.com:
"In general, even though he had chances in the first set, I was playing better than the days before. I had better rhythm in the legs, better rhythm with my forehand. So in general, I am very happy the way I played today. The way that I improved my level is not the most important thing; obviously the victory is.
"
Nadal at his worst is still better than most of the world. When he gets back into a rhythm, he is almost unstoppable. This should lead to a relatively easy win for the veteran.
Prediction: Nadal wins 6-4, 7-6, 4-6, 6-2
No. 6 Andy Murray vs. Nick Kyrgios
Although he is still just starting his career, it's important not to count out Nick Kyrgios. The 19-year-old Australian is likely to keep shooting up the rankings after getting to the quarterfinals for the second time in the last three Grand Slams.
As Leigh Walsh notes, he is already putting himself in great company:
With the home crowd behind him, he has a chance against any opponent.
Unfortunately, there comes a point where the person on the other side of the court is simply a much better player, and that will be the case Tuesday. Andy Murray has had his ups and downs, but the British star knows how to fire a winner down the line as well as anyone in the world.
There will be enough shots that Kyrgios will just be unable to get to as Murray racks up the winners.
Kyrgios will not go down easily, but this match will come down to talent and experience which both favor Murray.
Prediction: Murray wins 6-4, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4
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