It's a Desert Delight

Round of 16 recap

The third round in Doha was completed on Wednesday with three exceptionally close affairs, and three extremely disappointing matches. Lucie Safarova started things off in a fiery fashion, she bludgeoned her way through the first set against Makarova before the Russian used her steady play to snatch a tense second, Safarova then steadied the ship, going back to her hit harder than hard tactics and sweeping the third. Suarez Navarro edged an exhausted looking Pliskova in two tight sets, Petkovic exacted revenge on a shell shocked Zarina Diyas, and Victoria Azarenak's resurgence continued as she played some superb tennis to become the first person outside of the top 10 to beat Svitolina in 2015.

While Kvitova will be happy to have progressed to the last 8, the crowd was certainly left wanting more as Jelena Jankovic was forced to retire while trailing 3-6 1-1. Similarly, Wozniacki was handed a free pass into the quarters when Dulgheru pulled out down 3-0 in the second, and Radwanska outclassed Pennetta in just 46 minutes, turning what had been one of the most anticipated matches of the tournament into a lopsided dull affair.

Lets hope that the quarterfinals produce high quality matches all round, with that said, here are my matches to watch.

Match to watch

Petra Kvitova vs Carla Suarez Navarro- Kvitova continues to perplex everyone in the tennis world. She strikes the ball about as hard as anyone on tour, produces some of the most exquisite angles off both wings, serves with an extreme sting, and has consistently bettered her movement. Yet just when you think that she is poised to take the reigns from Serena and become a dominant force on the WTA tour, she manages to kind of slip into a state of perpetual self-destruction, losing matches to players she shouldn't even break a sweat against. Now don't get me wrong, I am not for a moment suggesting that Carla Suarez Navarro is a player that Kvitova should sweep under a rug, but she does not have the requisite weapons to blast Petra off the court either. Carla's game plan is always the same: get the ball back, construct the point, and attack when given a chance. Usually I would say that Petra would thrive against a ball like Carla's. She should be able to tee up her shots and swat winners like shilling peas. However, Carla has proved, as recently as last week, that she can stay in the points long enough to frustrate Petra and everyone knows that a  frustrated Petra can resemble a drunk archer aiming at an apple. Carla is going to try to exploit Petra's movement and keep her off balance, and above all she is going to hope that Petra isn't hitting the bullseye with every swing of her racquet.
Prediction: Petra Kvitova in two tight sets.

Popcorn Match

Venus Williams vs. Agnieszka Radwanska- If you are looking for two players with contrasting styles, look no further. In Venus we have the perennial power player; she likes to hit and she likes to hit hard. Couple that with fantastic movement around the court and an astonishingly accomplished net game and you have one of the most formidable players in tennis history. Radwanska is a thinker on the court... she has very little power but she does have plenty of guile. She chops and changes the pace, throws her opponents off their games, and moves them around like a puppeteer controlling her puppets. Radwanska has had an extremely accomplished career given that she is in an era dominated by power and athleticism. Yet there is one type of player that always ends up unseating her pursuit of glory--along the way, Aga seems to run into a power player that is striking the ball at the top of her game. When this happens, Aga's attempts to thwart the power seems as if she is banging her head against a wall. A few years ago, Venus was a player that would bash Aga off court without a second thought, but those years are gone. Venus has since been diagnosed with Sjogren's syndrome, and she sometimes comes out listless and unable to compete at the top of her game. Venus is still a huge threat playing below her normal self, but it allows players like Aga a chance to impose their playing style. If Venus comes out on form, she will be able to hit through Aga... If she is missing her target then Aga will be able to exploit her tired demeanor and grind out a win. Look for lots of interesting rallies and plenty of urgency in this match.
Prediction: Venus Williams def Radwanska in three exhilarating sets.

Other Predictions

Victoria Azarenka def Caroline Wozniacki (3 sets)
Lucie Safarova def Andrea Petkovic (2 sets)

Thanks for reading, please post your thoughts :)