20/01/2012 07:57 CEST - AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Day 5: Clijsters to play Hantuchova

Kim Clijsters

Related contents

• Fish
• Federer
• Tomic-Dolgopolovgrande spettacolo
• Australian Open, Day 3: Men's Preview
• The Magician, Version 2.0

WOZNIACKI (1) vs NICULESCU (31)

Head to head: 2-0

2006 ITF/ISTANBUL 2-TUR          HARD I      R16 WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE 6-4 6-0

2008 NEW HAVEN                        HARD O    R16 WOZNIACKI, CAROLINE 6-3 6-3

Beautiful Caroline should not have many difficulties in dismissing the Rumanian's challenge. Niculescu, number 32 in the world (best ranking 29), could not get past the third round last year losing to Schiavone. The 31st seed had to play two three-set matches to get to this round against Parmentier and Cornet and her 2012 has been not been impressive so far, she lost in the second round in Auckland and in the first in Hobart (but she won the doubles title with Begu). She reached the fourth round in New York last summer and in Melbourne last year, but she has never gone beyond the fourth round in a Slam.
The head to head record does not leave many chances to the Rumanian as Wozniacki won four sets out of four easily. Only a disaster should prevent the Dane from reaching the fourth round.

AZARENKA (3) vs BARTHEL

First meeting

Azarenka has been impressive so far. She got to the third round losing only two games (Sharapova did the same last night), even if the first two rounds were easy. This is an impressive statistic even in women's tennis where the gap between the top players and the rest of the pack is wider than in the men's tour. The German is in the best form of her career (ranked 44th) winning her first title in Hobart and she reached the third round in a Grand Slam for the first time beating Anne Keothavong and Petra Cibulkova. She hasn't lost a set yet, but something tells me she will lose two in a row tonight...

MEDINA GARRIGUES (26) vs LI (5)

Head to head: 4-0

2000 ITF/ORBETELLO-ITA             CLAY O         R32 MEDINA GARRIGUES, ANABEL 6-3 7-5
2007 CHARLESTON                       CLAY O         R16 MEDINA GARRIGUES, ANABEL 6-4 7-5

2007 STRASBOURG                      CLAY O         QF   MEDINA GARRIGUES, ANABEL 2-6 6-3 7-5


2008 ZÜRICH                                  HARD I          R32 MEDINA GARRIGUES, ANABEL 6-2 6-4

This is the closest match on paper today. Actually looking at their previous matches its not that close at all, Li lost every match against the Spaniard. Medina Garrigues won 11 titles in her career and her best ranking was 16th in 2009. These results are a bit dated, but even if the Roland Garros champion (and finalist in Melbourne last year) started the tournament well, dropping just eight games in four sets, Medina Garrigues has done better, dropping seven games, and the Australian Open is the only major in which she reached the fourth round, in 2002 and 2009.

VOSKOBOEVA vs RADWANSKA (8)

Head to head: 0-1

2007 ITF/BIELLA-ITA                       CLAY O          R32 RADWANSKA, AGNIESZKA 6-4 6-1

Galina Olegovna Voskoboeva is 27 years old and is in the best form of her career. In Toronto last year she eliminated Bartoli, Pennetta and Sharapova before capitulating against Azarenka. At the US Open she pushed Schiavone to the third set and in September she played her first final in Seoul losing to Martinez Sanchez. Her best result in a grand Slam was the third round in the 2009 Australian Open. She defeated easily Wickmayer and Pironkova on her way to this match.
Will this be enough to beat the Pole? Probably not, but not impossible. Radwanska looked very unsettled against Mattek-Sands and her easy victory in the second round didn't really convince. Voskoboeva should not be much of an obstacle for Radwanska as their previous meeting confirms, but we know how the 8th seed likes to complicate her life.

CLIJSTERS (11) vs HANTUCHOVA (20)

Head to head: 9-1

2000 ANTWERP                             CLAY O             R32     CLIJSTERS, KIM 7-6(6) 6-1

2002 FILDERSTADT                       HARD I             F          CLIJSTERS, KIM 4-6 6-3 6-4

2003 BERLIN                                  CLAY O            QF        CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-0 6-3

2003 FILDERSTADT                       HARD I             R16      CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-1 6-1

2005 ROLAND GARROS               CLAY O             R32      CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-4 6-2

2005 STANFORD                           HARD O            QF        CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-3 6-1

2005 LOS ANGELES                     HARD O             F          CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-4 6-1

2006 ROLAND GARROS               CLAY O             R16      CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-1 6-4

2007 AUSTRALIAN OPEN            HARD O             R16     CLIJSTERS, KIM 6-1 7-5

2012 BRISBANE                            HARD O            SF        HANTUCHOVA, DANIELA 6-7(4) 3-1 RET.

This is the match of the day because of the fame and prestige of the players, but their earlier encounters leave little doubt on the likely winner. Hantuchova won a single set in ten matches. Even in her only victory, a few weeks ago, she was down a set when Kim got injured and had to retire. They played each other here in Australia in 2007 and only the second set was close.
So far Clijsters has strolled through her matches, struggling slightly in her first set of the tournament (won 7-5). Hantuchova achieved her best result in a Slam in Melbourne in 2008 when she got to the semifinal and so far she has played six sets in two matches.
As long as Kim's fitness is fine, she should win.

OPRANDI vs GOERGES (22)

Head to head: 0-1

2010 US OPEN                     HARD O             R128         GOERGES, JULIA 6-3 6-4

The 22nd seed Julia Goerges won the only previous meeting between the two at the US Open in 2010. Goerges should win, but Oprandi is playing the tournament of her life and hasn't lost a set so far defeating compatriot Schiavone in the second round. Both have never gone beyond the third round in a Grand Slam, but Goerges got to the third round in all four majors last year.
Goerges should win, but Oprandi could use the enthusiasm of her win over Schiavone to try and take advantage of any chance the German may give her.

Other matches:

McHALE vs JANKOVIC
Head to head: 0-1
BRATCHIKOVA vs BENESOVA
First meeting

Riccardo Nuziale