Australian Open Preview: Day Ten
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Jan 23, 2007 | Print
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Only two matches are taking place on the women’s side of the draw on Wednesday at the Australian Open, but you do not want to miss one minute of the action.
Ten days into the Championships, Martina Hingis and Kim Clijsters will be taking to the court for a blockbuster showdown, just after top seed Maria Sharapova attempts to reach her eight Grand Slam semifinal with a win over her fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze.
Quarterfinal Matches on Wednesday, January 24
(Be sure to see the AO schedule for the times.)
(4) Kim Clijsters vs. (7) Martina Hingis
The seedings held in the second quarter of the draw, and after waiting for this match for ten days, fans are going to get to see most anticipated quarterfinal showdown of this year’s event. The two have a few things in common, including the fact that both of them are engaged to athletes, but their games could not be more different. Clijsters hits pure and strong, and is gunning for a chance to blast Hingis off the court, where Hingis will need to mix up her shots, and play the angles to keep the agile Clijsters on the move. They are tied 4-4 in career meetings, but one thing is for certain, someone is going to be on the run most of the match, and I have a hunch that it is not going to be Kim Clijsters.
My Pick to Win: Kim Clijsters in two sets
(1) Maria Sharapova vs. (12) Anna Chakvetadze
This year’s Australian Open was not kind to the many Russians on Tour, and it was a surprise to see only two of them reach the quarterfinals. Maria Sharapova was a given, but Anna Chakvetadze is a relatively new face to many fans. She has steadily moved up the rankings over the last several months, and is already being touted by some as the new Martina Hingis. Her shot-making skills and mental preparation may be similar to Hingis, but fortunately for the young Russian, she packs more power than the Swiss Miss. That’s power she’ll need against the Tour’s hardest hitter, but it still may not be good enough to oust the new world number one.
My Pick to Win: Maria Sharapova in three sets
Quotes of the Day
Serena Williams on how close she came to defeat against Peer:
“I thought about it, yeah. Two points to Qantas Flight 17.”
Nicole Vaidisova on playing for the Czech Republic, but living in the United States
“I think deep down I’m Czech. Czech is home for me. Every time I go back to Prague -I try to go as much as possible - that’s home. Family is there. Everybody is there. I’m very proud to play for Czech. I would love to play in the Olympics.”
What’s Happening in Melbourne
Selected weekend overnight TV ratings
Things may be heating up Down Under, but viewership of the Australian Open last weekend was down 14% compared to last year.
Tracy Austin: No substitute for experience
Tracy Austin thinks that Martina Hingis has a chance of defeating Clijsters, but she’ll need to play every weapon in her arsenal to do it.
Stosur salvages Aussie Open
Lisa Raymond and Samantha Stosur are through to the women’s doubles semifinals.
Sunday start on agenda
The International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia are considering the possibility of starting the 2008 Australian Open a day earlier on Sunday.
U.S. Television Schedule for Tuesday/Wednesday
All TV listings are EST and are subject to change.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 10:00 PM to 2:00 AM (live)
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN - 3:30 AM to 6:00 AM (live)
Men’s & Women’s Quarterfinals - ESPN2 - 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM (tape)
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Vic | Jan 23, 2007 | Reply
I’m going with both Maria and Kim tonight. Hopefully ESPN2 covers these LIVE! Their coverage has been awful!