Australian Open 2015: Day 11 Schedule, Matchup Predictions for Melbourne Bracket
A riveting Day 10 in Melbourne brought the 2015 Australian Open's field of semifinalists to fruition. The year's first major continues to provide unpredictable action, as another ranked competitor has been ousted from the tournament.
This time, No. 18 Venus Williams was defeated by the surprising Madison Keys, thwarting any hope for a Williams-versus-Williams showdown against her sister, Serena. Now, the 19-year-old upstart will take on the No. 1 seed in one of two pivotal Day 11 matches in the women's bracket.
On the men's side, No. 4 Stan Wawrinka and No. 1 Novak Djokovic moved on to forge a third consecutive meeting in the Australian Open—they split their previous two meetings in Melbourne. That match won't take place until Friday; however, viewers will still be delighted to watch No. 7 Tomas Berdych face off against No. 6 Andy Murray on Day 11.
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Before these athletes return to action, let's take a look at the complete Day 11 schedule and predict the winner for all three matches.
Day 11 Schedule
| No. 7 Tomas Berdych vs. No. 6 Andy Murray | 3:30 a.m. | ESPN | WatchESPN |
| No. 10 Ekaterina Makarova vs. No. 2 Maria Sharapova | 9:30 p.m. | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
| No. 1 Serena Williams vs. Madison Keys | Followed by | ESPN2 | WatchESPN |
Schedule of play courtesy of the Australian Open's official website.
Day 11 Predictions
(10) Ekaterina Makarova vs. (2) Maria Sharapova
This all-Russian semifinal should be jam-packed with pristine tennis, as the always-dangerous Sharapova meets the red-hot Makarova.
In the quarterfinals, Makarova produced one of the more stunning upsets, handily defeating No. 3 Simona Halep in two sets and giving up just four games. The No. 10 seed produced a very accurate first serve that remained in play 75 percent of the time. Makarova won 61 percent of her first-serve points, but her most impressive statistic was on the return, winning 54 percent of her receiving points.
Makarova also committed just 20 unforced errors, and she will have to keep up that trend if she is to defeat Sharapova for the first time in her career. Here's what the No. 10 seed had to say about the impending match during a press conference, via AUSOpen.com.
Said Makarova, "Well, I never beat her, so it will be tough. Definitely she's a great fighter. Like here on the second round, she almost lost, but she turned around. I'm looking forward. I'm want to enjoy this time and want to rest and we'll see what happen in semis."
Sharapova has been dominant throughout five rounds of the Australian Open, defeating three ranked opponents along the way. Her most recent victim was No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard, who couldn't handle the No. 2 seed's serve, winning just 28 percent of her receiving points. That's not a good omen for Makarova, as she will need to rely heavily on her return to remain in contention.
During her quarterfinal match, Sharapova kept just 64 percent of her serves in play, but she won an impressive 84 percent of her first-serve points. Combined with winning 48 percent of her receiving points and committing just 18 unforced errors, she's playing at a level that won't allow a loss.
Prediction: Sharapova wins in two sets.
(1) Serena Williams vs. Madison Keys
This all-United States clash features a very surprising competitor in Keys. This is her first time making it past the third round in the Australian Open, and she's winning in impressive fashion.
After upsetting No. 29 Casey Dellacqua in Round 2, Keys went on to defeat No. 4 Petra Kvitova in her next match. She took down No. 18 Williams, her third ranked opponent, in the quarterfinal due to some brilliant play during longer rallies. Keys has plenty of hiccups, generating 45 unforced errors, but her devastating forehand helped her accumulate 34 winners.
While her victory was splendid, Keys will need to show more consistent form to keep up with Williams' sister, Serena. Here's what the 19-year-old phenom had to say about her upcoming contest during a press conference, via AUSOpen.com:
"It's just one of those things where I have to go out and I have to do my best and I have to really just have to stay focused on my side of the court, because she's obviously very, very good and she's going to play very well. So if I get too focused on what she's doing I think I can kind of let the moment get away from me. So I'm just really going to stay focused on myself.
"
Williams, the tournament's No. 1 seed, defeated Dominika Cibulkova in two sets in her quarterfinal matchup, dominating her opponent with her impeccable serve, racking up 15 aces while winning 83 percent of her first-serve points. Williams' placement on her serves has been phenomenal in Melbourne, and that will prove to be an enormous challenge for Keys, who has thrived by routinely breaking her opponents' serves.
One factor to watch for here is Williams' health. She continues to cough and appears to be suffering from a cold. Still, that hasn't stopped her from winning decisively so far, and while the young Keys will prove to be a formidable opponent, it's tough to see the No. 1 seed losing before the final.
Prediction: Williams wins in three sets.
(7) Tomas Berdych vs. (6) Andy Murray
Rest assured, both Djokovic and Wawrinka will be closely watching this contest before they return to the court on Day 12.
Berdych advanced to the semifinals after a brilliant display against No. 3 Rafael Nadal, defeating the Spaniard in three sets. The hard-hitting Czech befuddled his opponent with a monstrous serve that allowed him to accumulate 10 aces, win 82 percent of his first-serve points and hold Nadal to win just 30 percent of his receiving points.
Not only was the No. 7 seed impressive on the serve, but he remained relatively error free, tallying 21 unforced errors against a player known to give his opponents fits during longer rallies. That isn't the only factor giving Berdych confidence moving forward, as he alluded to his previous success against Murray during a press conference, via AUSOpen.com:
"[Playing Murray] might be an advantage for us, but that's how it is. And what is more important is, again, to be prepared for that match, to be ready, to set up the plan, and try to execute them on the court. Really the preparation is exactly the same like for all my past opponents so far here. I'm not going to change anything else with that. Just try to focus on my things and keep going for it.
"
Berdych may boast a 6-4 head-to-head record against Murray, but the No. 6 seed is playing very well right now. In the quarterfinals, Murray faced a hard-hitting opponent in Nick Kyrgios and still managed to win 40 percent of his receiving points and 52 percent of medium rallies while limiting his unforced errors to 28.
Impressive on offense as well, Murray tallied 13 aces while winning 80 percent of his first-serve points and found success when attacking, taking 10 of a possible 15 net points. That success will allow Murray to keep up with Berdych; however, the Czech is on a roll, and his momentum will carry him forward.
Prediction: Berdych wins in five sets.
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