Tuesday, Quarterfinals
Rod Laver Arena
[3] Victoria Azarenka (BLR #3) vs. [8] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL #8)
Head-to-head: Azarenka leads 6-3
Five and a half years ago, a 17-year-old Agnieszka Radwanska made her way to an outside court at Wimbledon for her Grand Slam debut. Standing on the other side of the net that day was fellow teenager Victoria Azarenka; two hard-fought sets later, Radwanska emerged victorious and made her way into the second round. On Tuesday the pair will renew acquaintances, this time with a place in the semifinals of the Australian Open at stake.
In the intervening period, Azarenka and Radwanska have met eight more times, with six of these going the Belarusian's way, including a three set win in Sydney 10 days ago. Radwanska's hopes of narrowing the head-to-head record will rest on her ability to disrupt her big-hitting opponent's rhythm by varying the speed and spins of her groundstrokes. Azarenka, meanwhile, will look to use her power advantage to dictate points from the off, as she bids to extend her current win streak to 10 and reach her first semifinal in Melbourne in the process.
[1] Caroline Wozniacki (DEN #1) vs. [11] Kim Clijsters (BEL #14)
Head-to-head: Clijsters leads 2-0
Ahead of the most eagerly anticipated of the four quarterfinals, all the question marks surround not the form of the two players but the state of Kim Clijsters's injured ankle. Clijsters turned the ankle four games into her epic fourth round victory over Li Na, and how well it has healed since Sunday could be pivotal in determining her tactics against Wozniacki.
Should the ankle substantially compromise her movement, Clijsters is likely to adopt a more aggressive approach than usual in an attempt to minimize her lateral court coverage. However, in Wozniacki, she faces one of the WTA's best movers and, regardless of how positive she plays, the Belgian will still be forced to hit a lot of balls. The two previous meetings between the pair have both gone Clijsters' way, leaving her as marginal favorite, but Wozniacki is more than capable of exacting revenge if she reproduces the crisp ball striking and impeccable depth she maintained for a set and a half against Jelena Jankovic in the last round.
