AO Day 7 Preview: The Day of Rest

Hey All.

I hope you're doing well, wherever you might be. There just aren't enough hours in the day to do stuff. I have kind of got into the groove of reviewing and so I'm gonna keep doing so here. I'll go more in depth and I'll do both genders. Todd is always much better than me when it comes to reviewing. I shall try my best and I'll also be very fair. Even though most of these are walks in the park, some of them might be a potential banana skin for the big guns. Whenever I talk about bananas I always think of Bananarama. Anyway, I’m going off topic. I shall do Men's first and then the Women because Men's singles is first alphabetically.

Men's Singles - 4th Round RLA (ROD LAVER ARENA) UPSET ALERT

David Ferrer (ESP) [4] V Kei Nishikori (JPN) [16]

The young Asian star has some serious shot making ability. The problem with him, though, is that he can beat the best, but he often loses quite tamely to those ranked lower than him. Ferrer is 1-2 against Nishikori and he has even been bageled (meloned?) by the youngster. Ferrer has dropped just one set (against determined yank Smyczek) and Nishikori has lost one set, too. Ferrer was extremely impressive in his thrashing of Baghdatis -- I grant you the first set was kinda close, but after that it was over -- and he looks extremely good here.



Kei has been to the quarters here before, yes. He plays well here and he has a great game. But his serve is not great. Ferrer is going to punish him on the return. He will be on the backfoot in pretty much all his service games. This will be tight and an upset is unlikely, but possible. In the end, Ferrer will be just too tough. David in four.

Men's Singles - 4th Round RLA

Novak Djokovic (SRB) [1] V Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [15] HSA

I love Stan's game. For me, I have always preferred the one handed backhand. It is more pure, more gorgeous. It is more subtle and more graceful. It is majestic and it's glorious. It is a beautiful shot to watch. The two handed backhand looks ugly, it looks like modern art compared to the Mona Lisa. I just wish I could hit one. I think they are the sign of true culture in our sport. Anyway, the Djoker is 10-2 up on Stan. He can absorb whatever Stan throws at him pretty much. Neither man has really been troubled as of yet and the matches they have had have been hard, too. This will be closer, though, I think. This will show us how good Novak's title credentials are....the Serb in four, I think, but it could just as easily be three.

Men's Singles - 4th Round HSA UPSET ALERT

Nicolas Almagro (ESP) [10] V Janko Tipsarevic (SRB) [8]

They played once on hard and once on clay last year. Almagro is 2-0. Tipsarevic is not a top ten player. He has worked extremely hard to make up points by playing everywhere. He is a very good player, but is he top ten? I think he is up and around 10-15, yes, but 10? Well, anyway, he has struggled through to get here. Pushed to five by Lacko and Benny, he was very impressive against Hewitt, at least. Almagro won in five against Johnson, but since then he has been very impressive. He plays well here and he has a bigger serve than Tipsy. He also has more variation and better volleys. In fact, I pick Almags in straight sets.

Men's Singles - 4th Round MCA UPSET ALERT

Kevin Anderson (RSA) V Tomas Berdych (CZE) [5]

Upsets are a lot more common as we go along because players have momentum and they begin to believe they could actually do well here. These two played an epic at the French last year and in this one there will be a few tiebreakers. This will not be filled with long rallies, but with short quick points. These two aren't built for long rallies. This will be one-two tennis. Anderson upset Ferver in five and Lorenzi in four, but he did thrash Kuznetsov. Berdych has been supreme (I miss the Supremes by the way...the sound of Motown is fantastic, in my opinion), meanwhile. This will be tight. In the end? Berdman in four or maybe five.

Women's Singles - 4th Round RLA UPSET ALERT

Angelique Kerber (GER) [5] V Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) [19]

She did Zvonareva -she is not currently with us, may she recover- and Williams last year.Why not Kerber this year? This will be a good match to watch. How will Kerber deal with another lefty? Angelique has been very impressive. Makarova upset Bartoli in a very tight three setter and was imperious in the first two rounds. This will be a good match and the German will win in three.

Women's Singles - 4th Round RLA

Kirsten Flipkens (BEL) V Maria Sharapova (RUS) [2]

Well done to Flipkens for getting this far, but even with Clijsters in her corner this will be quick and one sided. Pova has dropped just 4 games thus far. Flipkens thrashed Zakopalova and beat Bratchikova easily, too. She struggled with Savinykh, however. Pova leads Flipkens in the head to head, too, by 1-0. I'll go Pova in two very easy sets and a bagel -- err, Melon -- isn’t out of the question here.

Women's Singles - 4th Round RLA UPSET ALERT

Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [13] Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [4]

I want to call the upset here. I really really do. But Radwanska leads 4-3 and she has won a few in a row against the Serb. I always find it amazing that someone like Radwanska is winning so many matches. She has no power and few big weapons, but still she wins and wins. She never runs out of energy, either, which I find amazing. She will run Ivanovic all around the court here. However, Ivanovic is playing like its 2008. She will crack the top ten once more soon. I want to pick this upset. I'm so tempted. Ivanovic has been fantastic so far (a slip against Chan aside) but Radwanska has been brilliant, too. Oooh...Radwanska in three. I don't got the guts to call the upset, but I want it to happen.

Women's Singles - 4th Round HSA UPSET ALERT

Na Li (CHN) [6] Julia Goerges (GER) [18]

If Julia plays her best and catches Li Na on an off day then we have a match and Julia might win. But Li Na always plays brilliantly in Melbourne. Li's year last year was average. She often goes walk-about midmatch and can be very inconsistent. They are 0-0 n their h2h. Li Na has been great all tournament, whilst Goerges has been pushed to three twice. I think this will be tight and if Goerges can break down Li's forehand, then she might win this. I think, though, that Li is too strong. She will win in two very tight sets with few breaks.

Right, I'm hungry and tired. Have yourselves a good night, folks, and visit WTABACKSPIN.

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