2014 Montreal - Quarterfinals

So far, most of my predictions for this event have been quite good! I think that the only surprise I've had is Suarez Navarro defeating Sharapova in the way that she did. Whilst there were two upsets in the final quarter, I didn't feel that they were particularly surprising at all, especially since Makarova and Vandeweghe have both played well recently. Here is my preview for the quarterfinals:

[1] Serena Williams vs. [11] Caroline Wozniacki

Both Williams and Wozniacki have been playing well recently, with Williams winning in Stanford, and Wozniacki winning in Istanbul. Both women haven't had particularly tough draws in their first few rounds, especially Wozniacki, due to Bouchard being upset in the second round. In this match, I think that it will pretty much go the way of the H2H, as Wozniacki's only win over Williams was in Miami 2 years ago, when she was in her prime and Williams wasn't. However, I still think that Wozniacki still has the ability and the potential to take a set off Williams, considering that she has not started some of her matches well in the past few weeks, which might allow Wozniacki to gain a small foothold and win a set.

Prediction: Serena Williams 2-1

[14] Carla Suarez Navarro vs. Venus Williams

Yesterday Suarez Navarro had a fantastic win over Maria Sharapova yesterday, grinding it out against a rather poorly performing opponent. Suarez Navarro kept changing the rhythm of the match and Sharapova just couldn't impose her game against the Spaniard, meaning that she kept missing by the smallest of margins, but those errors just added up, allowing Suarez Navarro to win. On the other hand, Williams played amazingly against Kerber, showing much better form, such as the return of her extraordinary ball striking and serving which helped her win the match. As a result I think, Venus will be able to win the match against Suarez Navarro, as she will be able to pick off CSN's topspin with her clean ball striking. It would also be nice to see an all-Williams semifinal, especially since they haven't play each other in a very long time.

Prediction: Venus Williams 2-1

[8] Victoria Azarenka vs. [3] Agnieszka Radwanska

Traditionally, Radwanska has been considered Azarenka's 'pigeon,' with their head to head currently sitting at 12-4, following Radwanska's amazing win over Azarenka at the Australian Open. I think this match will be the turning point for their matches in the future, because many of the matches Azarenka lost were matches she was injured in, such as in the 2009 WTA Tour Championships. In this particular matchup, I think many people would be looking for Radwanska to win this match, considering that earlier match in Australia, and Azarenka's form coming back from injury, but I personally think that Azarenka is almost well and truly coming back to form again, with this next match one of her first tests before the US Open arrives. As a result, I think that Azarenka will be extremely determined to win this match, considering her two fantastic wins over Cornet and Watson, even fighting injury to win her first match 6-4 in the third. Still, I think that Radwanska will try to aggravate Azarenka's injury and lack of match play using her cunning and guile to win a set off Azarenka.

Prediction: Victoria Azarenka 2-1

[Q] Coco Vandeweghe vs. Ekatarina Makarova

This quarterfinal match was the one which was definitely not predicted by anyone, but both players have played extremely well, with Vandeweghe defeating both Ivanovic and Jankovic in extremely long 3 set matches, both lasting almost 3 hours each. Makarova, on the other hand had a relatively simpler draw, with her only 3 set match coming against Kvitova in the third round. In this match, I think that Vandeweghe will be definitely showing a lot of fatigue, having to play 5 matches already, defeating 3 top 30 players in a row. This, coupled with her H2H with her 0-2 H2H with Makarova makes me feel that this will be a close match, but one Vandweghe probably won't be able to win.

Prediction: Ekaterina Makarova 2-1

I think this is the first time ever where I have predicted that all the matches will go to 3 sets! Overall, I think that the quality of tennis has been quite good at Montreal, and I am definitely hoping that the quality of these matches won't decrease in the quarterfinals. And as always, please share this blog with others if you enjoy it and comment below if you agree or disagree with my predictions!