Australian Open 2014: Women’s quarterfinal predictions

While the men might have played by the form book, with Grigor Dimitov being the only ‘exception to the rule’, it is quite a different story, as it often is, with the women. Let’s have a look at the quarterfinal matchups on the women’s side:

Ana Ivanovic (14) vs Eugenie Bouchard (30)

Bouchard beat Ivanovic at Wimbledon last year

Few would have bet on an Ivanovic-Bouchard quarterfinal from this quarter of the draw when the draws were released, and perhaps while some would have boldly predicted Bouchard, almost no one would have predicted Ana Ivanovic’s entry into the quarterfinals in a quarter which featured Serena Williams. Let’s take a look at how these two ladies reached this stage.

Form: Ivanovic has rolled back the years, displaying the kind of form she did during her rise to the top of the women’s game, nearly SIX years ago, would you believe. Straight set wins over Kiki Bertens and Annika Beck in the opening two rounds were followed by a resilient three-set win over local favourite Samantha Stosur in the third round, before THAT miraculous win over World No.1 Serena Williams in the fourth round. Bouchard, on the other hand, found herself in a very open quarter of the draw,  especially after the highest seeds in that quarter, Sara Errani and Roberta Vinci were bundled out in the first round itself. Bouchard slowly but surely worked herself through the draw, beating Tang, Virginie Razzano and Davis in straight sets, before a come-from-behind win over Aussie Casey Dellacqua in the fourth round.

What’s in store for them: Ivanovic now finds herself under pressure to prove that her giant-killing act against Serena was not a fluke, as she finds herself back where she once belonged. She is up against an opponent who has nothing to lose and has already created history by becoming the first Canadian woman to reach the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. Bouchard will take heart from the fact that she beat Ivanovic in the second round of Wimbledon last year, though Ivanovic is much more confident this time around and in much better form. And to add to the tennis on show, this match also promises to be a good match to ‘watch’. Before I am accused of being sexist, I shall quote tennis writer Courtney Nguyen, who tweeted ‘”AUGH. Bouchard and Ivanovic? WHY GOD WHY?!??!??!??!” — newspaper photo editors nowhere”.

Prediction: Ivanovic to beat Bouchard in straight sets