2013 Australian Open: Women's Semi-finals Preview

And then there remained four…

It’s like a final before the final. Four women, the pick of the draw – some even like dark horses, will give everything they’ve got in the tennis battlefield tomorrow. As the Australian Open dwindles away to these last encounters, expectancy arises not just because of a player’s skill-set, but also because of the competitiveness of the player. And when it comes to these four – Maria Sharapova, Li Na, Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens – it’s also about mental ruthlessness with oneself just as with the player at the other end of the net.

First semi-final

Li Na (6) versus Maria Sharapova (2)

Maria Sharapova leads their overall head-to-head 8-4 and won the last match they had played at the Miami Masters in 2012, in straight sets. The Russian’s performances have been faultless so far in the Australian Open, and amongst the four semi-finalists she is the only one to have made it to the semi-finals without any worries whatsoever. Dropping just nine games along the way with her serve and ground-strokes perfectly ticking for her, Maria Sharapova looks to be the clear favourite – at least on paper.

In contrast to her younger opponent, while Li Na doesn’t have a glowing scorecard, she too has reached the semi-finals without dropping a single set. And while against Radwanksa in the quarter-final she did have some initial problems, she was successful in turning the set around to her favour before completely overwhelming her Polish opposition in the second. With a new coach to mark her newest tennis season, the showy Chinese prodigy has indeed shown improvement in her performances. Her ability to manoeuvre Sharapova around, and making constant invasions to the net would be the key for Li Na to take complete control over the match.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova in two tight sets

Second Semi-final

Victoria Azarenka (1) versus Sloane Stephens (29)

It’s not surprising to see that Victoria Azarenka featured in the semi-finals of the first Grand Slam of the season. Her immense talent and her ability to be focused and consistent all throughout have been the pivotal factors that have helped the Belarusian to stay at the top of the rankings. Though, as compared to Azarenka’s last year’s Australian Open performance, she’s had some difficulty – against Jamie Hampton in the fourth round – she still remains a top-favourite to defend her title. Against the 19-year old American, Azarenka would need to stay focused even under pressure – which is more likely – so as to not let the American crowd her mentally, rather by her tactical approach.

Sloane Stephens. The world knew that she had potential, and after she defeated an in-form Serena Williams in the quarter-finals, she had reinforced it even more strongly. The youngest of the four semi-finalists, Stephens is also the one on whom every eye is staring at. She’s not had it easy, and whenever the going got tough for her, she dug deep to hold on and emerge the winner. Irrespective of whether she’s able to hold on to her reserves against Azarenka or not, the 2013 Australian Open is indeed the start of more achievements to come for the 29^th seed.

Prediction: Azarenka wins in three-sets