Azarenka, Wozniacki, Zvonareva to continue play on Day 3 – Preview: WTA Championships 2011
With the 2011 TEB BNP Paribas WTA Championships in progress in Istanbul, three matches are schedule for Thursday, October 27, 2011.
In the first match, Victoria Azarenka (Russia) will take on Li Na (China). World number 4, Azarenka will try to enter the semi finals of the championships. Li Na, who ranks one down to the Russian at number 5 spot, is also a main
contender to enter the semi finals. Both players have encountered each other in five matches where Li Na has won four while Azarenka succeeded in one.
The two players last met each other at the quarterfinals of the 2011 French Open, also known as Roland Garros, which Li Na won 7-5, 6-2. Their first meeting on the tennis court, however, was at the 2008 Brisbane International,
which Li Na won 4-6 6-3 6-4. The 2010 Rogers Cup was the only event where the Russian won the match against the Chinese, 6-3 6-3. On Thursday, the ball can be on any players’ court since both are evenly matched contenders in terms of game play.
Li Na was the finalist of the 2011 Australian Open, won the 2011 French Open and was quarterfinalist of the 2006 and 2010 Wimbledon, and the 2009 US Open. Azarenka, on the other hand, has never won any Grand Slam event. The highest she went in terms of Grand
Slam matches was when she played the quarterfinals of the 2009 and 2011 French open and the 2010 Australian open. Li Na could have an edge over her Russian opponent, for the Chinese has Grand Slam experience under her belt, which she can use against Azarenka.
In the second match of the day, Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) will take on Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic). The 21-year old Dane player, currently ranked at number one spot, would look for an upset win over the 2011 women’s Wimbledon champion, Kvitova, who ranks
number 3 in the world. The match could be one filled with aggressive shots and nerve-wrenching moments for both players have been on top of their game recently. However, Kvitova would try to improve her one-on-one status with Wozniacki, as the Dane leads their
personal match count 3 to 1. Wozniacki would also want to take revenge, as she was the runner-up in the women’s singles match at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships.
In the third and final match on day three, Vera Zvonareva (Russia) will play against Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland). Ranked eighth in the world, Radwanska has won three matches against the sixth ranked Russian, who has won two against the Polish player. The Russian,
who won an Olympic Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games, can edge out into the semi finals of the2011 Paribas WTA Championships but her Polish opponent could prove to be a worthy opponent. Their first match against each other was at the 2007 Kremlin Cup, where the
Russian won the game in straight-sets, 6-2 6-2. Their last match was at the 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open, where the 22-year old Polish player defeated Zvonareva, 6-3 6-2.
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