News & Photos
Charity Day - (13) Ana Ivanovic v (4) Agnieszka Radwanska
Head-to-head
| Ivanovic may trail in the head-to-head 3-4, but apart from their first and last meetings, these two have always played close matches. | Radwanska has won four of their seven clashes. Tellingly, it’s the past four that Radwanska has won, which will give her great confidence leading in. |
Will win if...
| She gets her ball toss right and her forehand is finding the mark. Ivanovic has made some tweaks to her game during the off-season and it shows. Her serve is improved and her forehand is looking like a genuine weapon. | She applies pressure early and wins the first set. In their seven matches, whoever has won the first set has gone on to win the match. |
Heading in...
| Ivanovic has dropped just one set so far, to qualifier Yung-Jan Chan. A straight-sets win over countrywoman and 22nd seed Jelena Jankovic was impressive. | Radwanska has been clinical in her matches to date and is yet to drop a set. Throw in titles in Auckland and Sydney and you have a player who is clearly in great form. |
Look out for...
| Nerves. Should things start to go awry for the Serb, watch her ball toss – she has a tendency to spray it when she’s feeling anxious. | Defense. Radwanska is one of the great retrievers in tennis. Her ability to chase and keep rallies alive is matched by few. |
Know this stat
| 2. According to web analytics service Alexa, Ivanovic’s website (anaivanovic.com) is the second most visited women’s tennis website. Maria Sharapova’s website (mariasharapova.com) is No.1. | 952,817 and counting. That’s the number of views ‘Racquet flies off handle’ has had on YouTube. Possibly the most baffling on-court moment of Radwanska’s career. |
X-factor
| A former finalist. In 2008 Ivanovic made it all the way to the final here before falling to Sharapova. She knows what it takes to win in Melbourne. | Confidence. Radwanska is yet to lose a match in 2013. Two titles plus three rounds in Melbourne equals 13 straight wins. |