Wimbledon 2010: Preview of the Women’s Quarterfinals, Serena faces Li Na
Day eight of the Wimbledon Championships will see the first set of quarterfinal matches being played. It has been a scintillating week of tennis so far and the magic will continue on the lawns of the All England Club. The women’s quarterfinals have the potential of producing many surprises as many matches have not gone according to plans. The fourth round saw many seeds crashing out of the tournament. Thus, this time around the quarterfinals will feature many faces that are not so popular on the tennis circuit. Yet it will be these low ranked women that may cause quite a stir riding on their air of confidence. They have caused upsets on the way and will be looking to continue that trend.
The top seeds that will feature in the quarterfinals are defending champion Serena Williams, former champion Venus Williams, fifth seed Kim Clijsters, and ninth seed Li Na. Lesser known countries will be represented this time in the quarterfinals like Estonia, Bulgaria and China. The United States, Belgium and Russia have their players to support in the quarterfinals. For the first time in their tennis career, Kaia Kanepi, Petra Kvitova and Tsvetana Pironkova will make an appearance in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon.
Opening the proceeding on Centre Court will be Belgian comeback queen Kim Clijsters who sent warning signals to her opponenet Vera Zvonareva by saying that she was now feeling very comfortable on grass. Clijsters won the US Open upon her comeback and now will be looking to do the same at Wimbledon. Clijsters last reached the semi-final back in 2006 and will be looking to go past the Russian to repeat that performance. The Belgian goes into the quarterfinal match leading the head-to-head five matched to zero against Zvonareva. But Zvonareva is not lacking in confidence, she has admitted to starting slowy in the event but now believes her level of tennis has risen drastically. Zvonareva believes that she will have to play some aggressive tennis to cause yet another upset. However, pundits believe it would be an easy road for Clijsters to reach yet another semi-final.
The big quarterfinal match is next on Centre Court. Defending champion Serena Williams will face off against ninth seed Chinese Li Na. The last time these two met was in the semi-finals of the Australian Open earlier this year. Serena needed two tie breaks to go past Na and reach the final. Thus, Serena is weary of the power that Li Na exudes. However, Serena also knows she leads their head-to-head four matches to one. The only match Li Na won was on the hard court surface in 2008. At a post match conference, Serena admitted to the fact that Li Na was a tough opponent who pushes Serena to the limit. It will be a competitive match with each player looking to surge ahead. Li Na won the Birmingham championship in the run up to Wimbledon and will be looking to capitalize on her win. It is her knack for not giving up that makes other players wary of Li Na. This quarterfinal match will be tough for Serena Williams, who will have to be on top of her game to reach the semi finals. Any loose shots on Williams’s behalf could give Li Na the opportunity to cause an upset.
Five-time Wimbledon champion Venus Williams will play Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova. Venus will be looking to avenge her Australian Open first round defeat. Pironkova pulled off a surprise win at the 2006 Australian Open as she thumped Venus Williams. Pironkova will be looking to repeat the same performance on Court One this year. Williams will not take anything for granted going into this match. Despite her winning streak, Venus is not complacent and believes she will have to be on top of her game to make a place for herself in the semi final. Pironkova has the ability of pulling off an upset but if Venus is playing her best tennis there will be no stopping her from winning her sixth Wimbledon title.
The final round of eight matches will be a face off against two lesser known contenders with both fighting to make history by reaching a semi final. The qualifier from Estonia Kaia Kanepi will take on Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic. Both players have caused upsets in the tournaments namely Sam Stosur and Caroline Wozniacki. These two surprise packages will be looking to make their nation proud by making it to the semi final. Thus, this semi final will see action coming off the racquet of both these women who will be looking to fire on all cylinders.
The quarterfinals will be a treat to watch. They will also be a test to see whether the domination of the Williams sister will prevail, whether Clijster’s fairytale will continue or will we see more upsets on the cards. All in all it will prove to be a firecracker of a day at SW19.
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