US Open 2013: Ladies' 4th round preview

Li Na (5) v Jelena Jankovic (9) (Head-to-head: Tied 4-4)

Li Na

This is a well-matched face-off between two players who are supreme athletes and has wonderful movement around the court something which reflects in their even head-to-head.

Naturally, this fourth round encounter looks delicious. The first six months of 2013 have been kind to the former World No. 1 Jankovic by giving her an opportunity to show glimpses of her old competitive form but since then, she meandered through troughs until arriving at Cincinnati. With some superb wins over Sabine Lisicki, Ekaterina Makarova, Roberta Vinci and Sloane Stephens, Jankovic has given a testament of her fighting spirit once again which she had displayed so far in New York.

Li Na, the Chinese No. 1, on the other hand, has struck up a good rapport with her coach Carlos Rodriguez who previously coached Justine Henin and as a result, she is now playing with more confidence. Two semi-final showings in the run-up to New York justified that and her grudge victory over Laura Robson corroborated it further. If Li Na doesn’t show her jittery nerves once again and plays relatively error-free, she definitely is looking at a quarter-final berth.

Prediction: Li Na wins in three sets.