2nd round of play resumes for Italian Alberta Brianti, with the Italian hopeful playing against Agnieszka Radwańska of Poland.
Current number 75 Brianti will certainly have her hands full when she faces off against world number nine Radwańska.
The Italian finally got through her Wimbledon opener with a win over USA’s Jill Craybas. Brianti defeated Craybas via scores 6-2 7-5, in a match where Brianti had to deal with late rally by Craybas. The win marks her best finish at the Wimbledon Open so far, besting her previous first round finishes in 2007 and 2009.
Brianti had a huge chip on her shoulder heading into her first Wimbledon match, after ending up with first round losses in her 2010 campaign. Her past three matches, as a matter of fact, saw her bow out of contention in the French Open, AEGON Classic, and the UNICEF Open. Brianti had been defeated by the likes of Vera Zvonareva, Bethanie Mattek-Sands, and Alla Kudryavtseva.
Her best Grand Slam finish to date was a 3rd round appearance at the 2010 Australian Open. Despite finally breaking her first round slump, Brianti will find another stumbling block to her Grand Slam bid in the Polish Radwańska.
While Radwańska isn’t new to early round losses, the Polish player boasts of a far better record than her foe. In 2010 alone, Radwańska managed to defeat world beaters Elena Dementieva, Ana Ivanovic, and Bethanie Mattek-Sands (in a Doubles match). However, the seventh-seeded Polish finished her clay court season on a bitter note, ending up with a 4-4 clay court record and dropping two consecutive matches at the four tourneys she entered.
Similar to Brianti, suffered another first round loss at the 2010 AEGON International with a surprise defeat at the hands of Victoria Azarenka. In the said warm-up tournament for Wimbledon, Radwańska enjoyed a fourth seeding but failed to impress on grass.
Still, the Polish player pounced on her first round opponent in Wimbledon, winning via scores 6-3 6-3 against Melinda Czink of Hungary. With her opponent committing 31 unforced errors, Radwańska cruised on to victory without much trouble.
Comparing both players, we may see some similarities between the two despite the disparity in professional record. The two contenders are both right-handed, with Radwańska preferring a two-handed backhand while Brianti employs a one-handed backhand. Brianti ought to watch for Radwańska’s favorite forehand shot, particularly the inside-out forehand. Radwańska is also considered as an all-court player, given her success on hard, clay, and grass courts. Even so, Brianti can still come out on top because of Radwańska’s lack of serving power. Look for Brianti to expose her opponent’s weaknesses whenever she can. She will likely take her aggressive game to Radwańska and put the pressure on early. She has the ability to do that, but her shot control remains questionable. Radwanska proved numerous times that she can handle pressure.
Prediction: On paper, it appears that Radwańska enjoys the advantage over Brianti. Despite lacking in the “power play” department, Radwańska may rely on her vaunted tactical accuracy and patience on constructing the point before hitting a winner. Moreover, Radwańska has the more decorated record, especially in Grand Slam tourneys. Brianti also prefers the hard court, rather than clay which is considered as the typical Italian favorite. And since this is Wimbledon, Radwańska’s experience on grass may see her through.
When the two finally face off, expect Radwańska to get rid of Brianti in straight sets. Brianti may stage a late rally but look for the Polish to stifle her opponent down the line. Again, Radwańska over Brianti in two.
The outcome of the match would certainly set the tone for section two of the women's draw: the winner will likely face Li Na in the fourth round.
Tags: