No more predictions, speculations or assumptions. That’s my promise today. Unpredictability has been the flavour of this tournament and it seems that everyone wants a taste, which is why today I’m just sticking to the facts. Here goes.
A Grand Slam winner and two finalists are in action today at Pat Rafter Arena as the finals draw closer. Andy Roddick, Robin Soderling and Marion Bartoli, along with the remaining main draw singles Aussies Matt Ebden and Jarmila Groth will all feature today in Pat Rafter Arena (PRA) matches.
Ebden is second on at PRA against Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin, the tournament’s eighth seed. Istomin is ranked more than 150 spots higher than Ebden who had to first battle his way through the qualifying rounds then past Queenslander John Millman in his first main-draw match.
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After upsetting Australian No.1 and world No.6 Sam Stosur in the second round, Jarmila Groth will be feeling confident ahead of her quarterfinal match. But standing between the Australian and the semifinals is talented German Andrea Petkovic.
The dancing German was ruthless in her dismissal of Jelena Dokic on Wednesday and is in scintillating touch. Groth, however, is up to the challenge. If she can find the form that helped her past Stosur then Petkovic will be in for a fight. Groth and Petkovic, who have a 1-1 head-to-head record, will close out the night session.
Beginning the night session is men’s second seed Andy Roddick and fifth seed Marcos Baghdatis. A-Rod has torn through the draw so far, casting aside Australian No.3 Marinko Matosevic and attack-at-all-costs Ukrainian Alexandr Dolgopolov in the first two rounds.
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After a scare in the first round, the smiling Cypriot bounded through his second-round match against Poland’s Lukasz Kubot, winning 6-2 6-2. Roddick, however, won’t be as easy an assignment.
Meanwhile in today’s other Pat Rafter Arena day session matches, Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli takes on Czech Barbora Zahlavova Strycova. Fourth-seeded Bartoli was a finalist here in 2009 when she fell to fiery Belarusian Victoria Azarenka. Zahlavova Strycova has knocked out Australian Sally Peers and qualifier Anna Tatishvili to date.
The final match of the day session at PRA sees men’s top seed Robin Soderling face Germany’s Michael Berrer. The world No.5 had little trouble in seeing off American qualifier Ryan Harrison, while world No.58 Berrer knocked out Dudi Sela in three sets.
On Show Courts 1 and 2 today, rising Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova takes on Lucie Safarova who accounted for No.2 seed Shahar Peer on Tuesday. In the final women’s quarterfinal match, Dominka Cibulkova faces Petra Kvitova for a place among the final four. And South Africa’s Kevin Anderson meets Colombia’s Santiago Giraldo for the first spot in the men’s semifinals.
In doubles action, big-serving Australian duo Carsten Ball and Chris Guccione take on the German–Austrian pairing of Philipp Petzschner and Alexander Peya. That match will be followed by Another Aussie pair, Ebden and Peter Luczak who will face Swede Robert Lindstedt and Romania’s Horia Tecau.
Finally, Aussies Anastasia Rodionova and Paul Hanley will also take to the show courts. Rodionova with Zimbabwe’s Cara Black play big-hitting Russians Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Alisa Kleybanova. While Hanley will team up with Czech Lukas Dlouhy as they take on former Australian Open finalist Arnaud Clement and Slovakia’s Michal Mertinak.
Just eight of the 16 men’s and women’s seeds in the singles draws remain in what has been a tournament highlighted by daily upsets. Who knows what today will bring?
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