Australian Open 2020: Anett Kontaveit vs Simona Halep, quarter-final match preview and prediction
Well, a very competitive field of the 2020 Australian Open has been brought to final few hopefuls and only one former finalist remains, Simona Halep.
The Romanian has had uncharacteristically easy road to this point, with no real battle following the first round match against the in-form Jennifer Brady.
And now she has the chance to make it all the way to the finals without having to face a single top-15 opponent. To have a shot at that coveted finals spot, however, she will have to get the better of Estonia's Anett Kontaveit in Wednesday's match.
And while Kontaveit has an underwhelming record against Halep, her performance at this year's tournament will give her enough confidence heading into the quarter-final.
She has claimed the scalps of a few big names and was absolutely ruthless in her wins over 6th seed Belinda Bencic and talented youngster Astra Sharma, losing just three game in the two matches combined.
One has two wonder what it is that Kontaveit brought to these matches for such impeccable results. And the answer is, a little bit of everything. The Estonian is a versatile player and throws everything at her opponents, who are left baffled by the end.
Kontaveit's ability to absorb pace and use it to her advantage also came in handy against the big-hitting Iga Swiatek, but the 26th seed with have completely different look at the ball against Halep.
As is obvious, Halep will be not be feeding her with the pace of some of her past opponents and that where Kontaveit begins to struggle. She isn't the most equipped to generate her own pace and definitely not strong enough to endure in rallies against the Romanian.
That's probably one of.the main reasons for Kontaveit's poor record against Halep and it will be interesting to see her plan for Wednesday. Halep's ravaging form isn't going to make things easy for Kontaveit. The Estonian's chances, to be honest, look to be bleak at best.
Prediction: Halep to win in straight sets.
Follow Sportskeeda to get the full Australian Open 2020 Schedule, Australian Open 2020 Results, Australian Open Winners, latest news & updates