Notes from Down Under: Day 8 Preview

By Chris Oddo/ Sunday, January 19, 2014

The schedule is popcorn-packed with blockbusters on Day
8. Here’s what we’ll be watching…

See the Complete Day 8 Order of Play
Here

Dominika Cibulkova vs. Maria Sharapova, 1st Match, Rod
Laver

First up on Rod Laver Arena, the long, tall and
supermodel-esque Maria Sharapova will pit her
ball-bashing wiles against the diminutive firecracker from
Slovakia known to many simply as “Domi.” This should be an
interesting study in contrast of size, and in particular, how
such a disparity in size doesn’t make a difference in terms of
power off the ground.

Sharapova, who has spent twice as much time on court in her
first three matches as Cibulkova, thanks to her three-hour and
28-minute second-round odyssey versus Karin
Knapp of Italy, will have to get her feet moving
early, because Cibulkova will certainly come out firing.

“She likes to make it physical,” said Sharapova after her
third-round over Alize Cornet. “That’s when
she plays her best. Obviously I don’t want to go there with
her.”

Sharapova will have to be very tidy and quick to strike if she
plans to do not “go there,” and whether or not she is actually
able to achieve that end will depend largely on her serve
(which has been bad in Australia) and her return (which needs
to be her strongest shot).

With pressure on Sharapova, and Cibulkova, who has won two of
three versus the Russian, chomping at the bit, this one
promises to be a very entertaining affair.

Roger Federer vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, 1st Match, Rod
Laver Night Session

Expect some fireworks and beautiful, aggressive tennis as two
familiar Grand Slam foes will square off for the 14th time, the
sixth at the Grand Slam level and the third time in Australia.
Federer took down Tsonga in a classic five-setter in last
year’s quarterfinals, but Tsonga paid Roger back at the French
Open later in the year, disposing of him in straight sets.

In all honesty, it appears that Tsonga, though ranked lower, is
in better form this year. With Federer still getting to know
his new racquet, it’s hard to tell how he’ll respond to the
challenge of facing his first top ten opponent in Australia.
His serve has been better, but his backhand has been a bit
iffy, and his consistency spotty. In 2013, the top ten gave him
major headaches, as Federer went 3-13 against them. But this is
a new day, and Federer might actually benefit from facing a
familiar face, and a player who he can read and react to
without having to overthink.

But Tsonga is the type of player that has always given Federer
problems. One that can serve and hit him off the court a bit—so
if Tsonga is making his shots, he should have chances to win
this one. It will take a stellar day from Federer to get this
match closes. Is he up for that at this stage of the season, or
his the Swiss maestro still in need of some more reps with the
new racquet?

Sloane Stephens vs. Victoria Azarenka, 2nd Match, Rod
Laver Day Session

Forget about last year’s well-documented and over analyzed
drama during the semifinals. We’re not even going to mention it
here because we know that every other tennis scribe will take
care of that for us. Cue Tom Rinaldi’s
heartfelt tone and some sparse, airy keyboards on ESPN to
really get it in heaps.

What really matters to us is two things: The attempted
Australian Open three-peat for Victoria
Azarenka, who is in position to get it done thanks to
Serena’s shock loss to Ivanovic, and the rise of Sloane
Stephens, which until now has featured a lot of nice
wins against lower-ranked opponents at Grand Slams and one
massive upset of Serena Williams in Melbourne (nice win over
Ana Ivanovic at last year’s U.S. Open, too, but you get the
point).

Can Sloane prove that the victory over Serena was no fluke and
that she’s ready to tangle with the cream of the crop on the
WTA Tour on a regular basis? Can Vika prove that she is truly
the queen of Melbourne, and quite possibly ready to take the
mantle from Serena and run with it in 2014?

We sure as heck can’t wait to find out the answer to those two
questions….

Rafael Nadal vs. Kei Nishikori, 3rd Match, Rod Laver
Day Session

Should Kei Nishikori come out onto the court
looking to prove to the world that he is capable of being more
than a player on the cusp of the top ten that can’t make a dent
with the elite ATP’ers, then we are in for a treat in the third
match on Rod Laver on Day 8. Because Nadal will make Nishikori
pay for that, and if Nishikori is truly all-in for this match,
we’ll get to see how much punishment he is willing to take to
prove himself to the world.

Entering Rod Laver to face Nadal is like entering the gladiator
pit in ancient Rome. You are going to be treated mercilessly by
one of the best in the business. It’s a scary proposition, but
if Nishikori acquits himself nicely, and truly attempts to go
toe-to-toe with Nadal, it will bode well for his future. If he
cops out and throws up a parade of unforced errors and gets out
of there without really suffering, it will be a step back for
Japan’s No. 1. At 24, Nishikori should be ready to make that
next leap. He has the game to do it, but does he have the
mental?

Meanwhile, Nadal is looking so imperious through his first
three rounds (he was flat-out scary against Monfils), it seems
just a matter of time before he and Djokovic face off for all
the marbles in the final. Will he be tested before that? It
will take a real man to do it…

Jelena Jankovic vs. Simona Halep , 1:00,
Hisense

This round of 16 tilts pits two of the most efficient and
technically gorgeous ball strikers who are similar in game
style, yet have very different career arcs. Jankovic is now the
grizzled veteran, a former No. 1 who has rebuilt her game and
found her way back into the top ten after a long, rudderless
spell. Halep is a young player that is just coming to her own,
having won six titles in 2014 and reached her first Grand Slam
round of 16 at the U.S. Open.

The question: Will it be Halep to continue her ascension, or
will JJ continue with the renaissance?