AUSTRALIAN OPEN 2007: Women's Quarterfinals Prediction

The 2007 Australian Open Women's Quarterfinals are almost set. Like the other Grand Slams at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, the Tennis Australia schedules their matches of the last 8 players on one day, thus providing an orgiastic feast of high stakes tennis all in one place during the course of one entire day.

Maria Sharapova (RUS) [1] vs. Patty Schnyder (SUI) [8]. The veteran Swiss player is a crafty, clever player: a lefty with every spin in the book and formidable endurance. Frankly I would not be surprised if she fails to get into the quarterfinal after falling to Anna Chakvetadze's power game. Sharapova possesses even more firepower than Chakvetadze and has demostrated her intense desire to add the Australian title to her resume with her incredible performance in surviving her near-death event in her first-round 9-7-in-the-third win over Camille Pin. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets.




Martina Hingis (SUI) [6] vs. Kim Clijsters (BEL) [4]. This is a repeat of last year's quarterfinal which started off as routine affair but ended up as a 3-set slugfest (6-3, 2-6, 6-4)when Clijsters took her foot off the pedal (Hingis boosters would say their woman turned up the heat) and lost a string of games in a row after being in complete control of the match. The two have been in a "friendly competition" to see who could zip through their early round matches the fastest. Clijsters is leading so far. Head-to-head Hingis and Clijsters are tied 4-4 but since the Swiss Miss' return from retirement Clijsters is 3-0 against "The Black Widow of Tennis." Clijsters is playing with nothing to lose as she speeds towards her wedding and retirement at the end of the year, Hingis knows that she'll have a better chance at adding a 4th Australian Open title without the Belgian in her side of the draw.
PREDICTION: Clijsters in 2 sets.

Lucie Safarova (CZE) Amélie Mauresmo FRA (2) vs. Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) [10]. This surpising quarterfinal matchup is between two Czech teenagers. The younger one (Vaidisova is not yet 18 but is the 10th seed) is also the more talented of the two and has been called "the new Sharapova" for at least 18 months now. Safarova just had the biggest win of her career by defeating defending Grand Slam Champion Mauresmo in two tight sets in the previous round to make her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. Vaidisova has been there, done that already. (Last year at Roland Garros, she beat Mauresmo and Venus Williams en route to her first Grand Slam semifinal.) She'll get to her second Grand Slam semifinal, this time in Melbourne. PREDICTION: Vaidisova in 2 sets.

Jelena Jankovic (SRB) [11] Serena Williams USA vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) [3] Shahar Peer ISR (16). This is the quarterfinal matchup which no one expected! After confounding all the critics by routing the Serbian Diva who was the current It Girl on the tour in straight sets, 7-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams is starting to make a believer out of me. Somehow, I think Serena's Melbourne 2007 story may be a sequel to Venus's Wimbledon 2006 run where a Williams sister who has limited match play and questionable fitness plays her way into major-winning form through consecutive amazing matches. In Venus' case it was her thrilling defeat of Mary Pierce in the quarters followed by a jaw-dropping display against Maria Sharapova in the semis, ending by playing the match of the decade against Lindsay Davenport in the final. Serena was surprisingly gutsy with her 3rd round win versus Nadia Petrova and impressively consistent against Jelena Jankovic. Israeli Shahar Peer is no shrinking violet. She is hard hitting ex-Army vet who moves well and hits a clean hard ball on both sides. Peer took out Svetlana "the most talented of Russians" Kuznetsova easily, although Sveta was suffering from a respiratory problem and couldn't harness her trademark firepower. However, I doubt that Peer can handle the extreme level of firepower Serena is ready to dish out. Then the question will be can Serena 2007 repeat her 2005 win?
PREDICTION: Serena Williams in 2 sets.