Notes from Down Under: Day 9 Preview

By Chris Oddo/ Monday, January 20, 2014

Here’s a snapshot of each of Day 9’s Australian Open
quarterfinal matchups.

See the Complete Day 9 Order of Play Here

Li Na vs. Flavia Pennetta, Ist Match, Rod
Laver

After knocking out the two youngest women in the draw in week
one, Li Na is happy just to be playing someone
who is older than her. She made that abundantly clear, bringing
it up several times that her quarterfinal opponent,
Flavia Pennetta, is one day older than her.
Reporters even tried to trick her, claiming that Pennetta said
she was the younger one, but Li wouldn’t take the bait: “No.
She’s one day older than me. Yes, I’m sure. 100%. Yeah.”

But age is only a useless number when it comes to the WTA. Li,
a two-time finalist in Melbourne, and Pennetta, fresh off her
first career Grand Slam semifinal at last year’s U.S. Open are
living proof.

Pennetta contributes her success to a lack of pressure, saying,
“Well, I think when you’re old, you’re starting to have
different goal and try to enjoy a little bit more the life,
no?”

On the court, Li is the more accomplished player, having won a
French Open title and reached to Australian Open finals, but
Pennetta is dangerous in that she has defeated Li in two of
their three tour-level meetings and she is truly playing like
she has nothing to lose.

Li, on the other hand, has major sponsors to impress, a new
coaching relationship with Carlos Rodriguez to
live up to, and is under the constant scrutiny of a giant Asian
and global fan base.

But if Li can keep her mind free of distractions and outside
pressures, she’s the clear favorite to win this match, based on
her world-class groundstrokes, improved net game and overall
wealth of experience at this level of a major. But if there’s
anything we’ve learned from the upsets of Maria
Sharapova and Serena Williams over
the weekend, it’s that chaos reigns supreme in the WTA, at
least at the 2014 Australian Open.

Ana Ivanovic vs. Eugenie Bouchard 2nd Match, Rod
Laver

Eugenie Bouchard will attempt to become the
first Canadian female to ever reach the semifinals of the
Australian Open in Day 9’s second women’s semifinal, while
Ana Ivanovic will hope to summon the good
fortunes of days gone by, when she was a World No. 1 and the
darling of the sport.

Ivanovic must feel she is living a charmed life after taking
down Serena Williams in the biggest upset of
the tournament on Day 7, but Bouchard must also feel blessed in
that she has reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal and there is no
Serena Williams to be found.

Instead, Bouchard will face a player she methodically took down
at Wimbledon in straight sets last year. But six months is a
long time, and Ivanovic, after taking down Sam
Stosur and Serena Williams in back-to-back matches in
Melbourne, is a much more confident player than she was at
Wimbledon in 2013.

Will that confidence enable her to attack Bouchard the way she
attacked Serena in the round of 16? Will Bouchard be able to
block out the hype surrounding her and just play the game that
has gotten her this far.

In what amounts to a winnable match for both, the player who
can execute under pressure will come away with the semifinal
bid.

David Ferrer vs. Tomas Berdych, 3rd Match, Rod
Laver

How is it that these two perennial all-stars of the ATP Tour
have never crossed paths in a major? They’ve met eleven times,
with Ferrer taking seven, including three of the last five on
hard courts, but never at a Slam.

Now that they’re finally going to clash, we should sit back and
enjoy watching two of the best players in the game on a grand
stage, with so much at stake.

Tomas Berdych is looking to reach his first
Australian Open semifinal in his eleventh appearance at
Melbourne, and he’s been flat-out nasty in his first four
matches, not dropping a set and basically wreaking havoc with
his massive serve and groundies.

Ferrer, meanwhile, has traveled under the radar as usual,
dropping a few sets along the way, but always grinding his
lesser opponents into the hard court when the situation called
for “true” toughness. He’s a warrior, David
Ferrer, and while Berdych might be the sexier pick to
win this match, rest assure that Ferrer will make the Berdman
earn every point he gets in this match.

Will Berdych have the stamina and the patience to take Ferrer
down in what promises to be five grueling sets? Or will Ferrer
eventually take him to that dark, demonic place of
self-loathing that has made many lesser opponents spray errors
liberally just to get off the court with Ferrer?

Novak Djokovic vs. Stan Wawrinka, 7:00, Rod Laver Night
Session

The rematch of one of the best Australian Open matches in
recent memory has most tennis fans chomping at the bit, as
Novak Djokovic and Stan
Wawrinka prepare to headline Day 9’s night session.

Can these two possibly top what they did in Melbourne in 2013?
Honestly, no. How could they? But if they come anywhere near
the level of drama and ball-striking that they did last year in
both of their Grand Slam matches (both won by Djokovic in five
sets), fans will be in for an immense treat.

“He’s really, really tough to beat,” said Wawrinka of Djokovic,
after his round of 16 victory over Tommy
Robredo. “Had five sets against him last year here.
Five sets in the US Open. But I didn’t win. I didn’t find the
solution to beat him.”

If Wawrinka, who has yet to lose in 2014, was looking for a
measuring stick to gauge his improvement, it will be standing
across the net from him in tonight’s quarterfinal.

Djokovic, a three-time defending champion and winner of 25
consecutive matches at the Australian Open, is only three
matches away from being the first player in the Open Era to own
five Australian Open titles. If Wawrinka were to knock off the
Serb is “his house” it would surely signify a giant
breakthrough for Wawrinka, and maybe be the impetus that sets
him on course to win his first Grand Slam title.

Before you roll your eyes at that, consider the beastly
artistry of Wawrinka’s game when it is in full sail. He is
capable of winning a Slam, and maybe all the hardships and near
misses he encountered in 2013 have prepared him to do just
that.

“Well, I have to be ready to play another 12-10 in the fifth
like last year,” Djokovic said to the press after his round of
16 blowout win over Fabio Fognini. “I know
that he’s playing the tennis of his life in last 15 months.
He’s top-10 player now. He’s established himself in the top
level. He won against some top guys in the big tournaments. He
is confident. You know, you could feel that mentally when he
comes to the court, he believes in himself more. He can win
against the top guys in the later stages of events.

“So, you know, you cannot expect a clear favorite in that
match.”

Djokovic is wrong about one thing. He is the clear
favorite. This is his house, and he is a six-time Grand Slam
champion facing a player that he has defeated fourteen
consecutive times. He is bidding four his fourteenth
consecutive Grand Slam semifinal, a remarkable feat trumped
only by Federer in his heyday (23). This is Djokovic’s match to
win. But that doesn’t mean Wawrinka won’t produce his finest
tennis to date, or that he can’t win. Something about his rise
gives indication that Wawrinka is for real, and that 2014 could
be an even better season than 2013 was.

Here’s to hoping that the tennis lives up to the lofty
expectations that these two have created in their last two
Grand Slam epics.