Australian Open 2019 Potential Match-ups in WTA

Published 01/10/2019, 9:41 AM EST

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The 107th edition of the Australian Open has unveiled its draw. And as usual, the premier Grand Slam event of the year will be filled with excitement in the Australian sporting capital, Melbourne. The number 16th seed Serena Williams is returning Melbourne major and she is sharing the quarter with Simona Halep and they are expected to set up the pre-quarters match against each other in the Australian Open 2019. Venus Williams will also be competing in the tournament. And the sensational two-time champion, Victoria Azarenka is returning to play her favourite tournament.

Simona Halep

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The Romanian World Number one, Halep will be opening her first round match against the Estonian, Kaia Kanepi. Kanepi shattered Halep in the opening round of the US Open tournament as the Estonian received a 6-2, 6-4 against the Roland Garros champion. The match a historic first-round upset. As Halep heads the first quarter she might set up a clash against both the Williams sister before the quarterfinals. Upon reaching the last four, Halep might take on the World Number four Noami Osaka in the Australian Open 2019.

Naomi Osaka

The reigning US Open champion, Naomi Osaka will open against Polish women Magda Linette. The 28th seed, Hsieh Su-Wei, 2018 semifinalist Elise Mertens and the 2018 WTA Finals champion Elina Svitolina are in the same quarter as Osaka. Osaka’s potential third-round opponent is expected to be the prominent unseeded player, Azarenka and later see Halep in the last four.

Serena Williams

It will be the first Australian Open for Serena after her last win on the Melbourne courts while she was carrying an eight-week-old baby. Since the time Serena returned on the WTA courts after her maternity hiatus, she reached two consecutive major finals. To defend her eighth title in Melbourne she will play Tatjana Maria in her first match in Melbourne and she might as well see the Canadian, Eugenie Bouchard. In the round-of-32 of the Australian Open 2019, Williams might play the Spaniard, Carla Suárez Navarro, the Australian Samantha Stosur or teenager Dayana Yastremska. In the pre-quarters, she might play her sister Venus or the top-seed Halep.

Caroline Wozniacki

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The defending champion Carolina Wozniacki will face Alison van Uytvanck in the opening round and she might come across Maria Sharapova in the third round and later set up a potential match against the number two seed Angelique Kerber in the semifinals.

Opening Round Matches

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The German will face Slovenia’s Polona Hercog in her opener she shares the quarter with Sloane Stephens. Stephens will play her compatriot Taylor Townsend in the first round. The Australian number one Ashleigh Barty will be playing Thailand’s Luksika Kumkhum in the first round, and the Czech woman Petra Kvitova will play  Slovakia’s Magdalena Rybarikova.

 

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Written by:

Mahalakshmi Murali

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Mahalakshmi Murali joined EssentiallySports in 2018 as a tennis author and has gone on to pen more than 1800 engaging articles, probing into various aspects of the sport and its illustrious players. With her expertise on the sport, Mahalakshmi has interviewed stalwarts from the sport such as Serena WIlliams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou and Kevin Anderson’s physio, Carlos Costa. Equipped with her vast experience and a keen understanding of the sport, Mahalakshmi now co-heads the tennis department.
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