And its down to 8!

Recap

The 3rd round wrapped up in extraordinary fashion. Seed after seed fell faster than rain drops in a monsoon. The biggest upset of the day was arguably Lucie Safarova's defeat of defending champion Venus Williams, even more shocking than the result was the relative ease of the score. Less shocking was Petra Kvitova's exit. She fell to the same opponent that she did last year; Carla Suarez Navarro came out and did just enough to topple the second seed. Ana Ivanovic was also sent tumbling from the event by a star on the rise. Karolina Pliskova out hit and out maneuvered Ivanovic and thrilled the crowd with a three set victory. Finally, Angelique Kerber played a fantastic second set but was thoroughly outplayed in the third as Flavia Pennetta showed glimpses of the tennis that took her to the US open Semifinals in 2013. After the shock and awe of the third round, the quarterfinals have taken on a rather different look than many would have expected at the beginning of the tournament. Here are the matches to watch.

Match to watch 

Lucie Safarova [11] vs Karolina Pliskova [17]- Safarova scraped past Casey Dellacqua in the first round, and for all practical purposes Venus Williams was a favorite to blow past her in the second. Safarova though had different ideas-came out swinging for the hills, and it worked. Everything Safarova hit, turned to gold. Venus was left stranded time and time again. Conversely, Pliskova had a much harder route to the quarters, Ana Ivanovic put up a huge fight but Pliskova had all the answers. She served well, moved well, countered Ana's power with her own, and put shots constantly close to the lines. Having played against a player that strikes the ball as hard as Ana should help Pliskova deal with Safarova's ferocious groundstrokes. This match will be highly entertaining if, and ONLY if, Safarova can keep up the form she displayed against Venus. If her form drops, her errors will be exactly what Pliskova will be looking for. More than likely Pliskova will have a little too much consistency for the up and down Safarova to handle.
Prediction: Pliskova def Safarova in three sets.

Popcorn Match

Simona Halep [1] vs Ekaterina Makarova [6]- I am not a huge fan of either of these woman. However, I cannot argue against the facts, and the facts show that both of them were on fire in 2014. Halep was a standout player on the WTA tour last year, winning 6 tournaments and finishing the year at number 2. Makanrova also had a strong season, progressing to her first grand slam semifinal at the US Open. It is very difficult to separate these two players. Makarova is slightly more aggressive, Halep is slightly more consistent. Both have their respective weapons, and both have their weaknesses. Makarova used her strengths to perfection in Australia, peppering a vulnerable looking Halep with deep and penetrating ground strokes that kept Halep off balance and unsure of what to do. Unless Halep can control the tempo, move Makarova around, and take the initiative in this match, Makarova will continue to plug away at Halep's game, causing her to implode in a miserable plethora of errors.
Prediction: Makarova def Halep in three sets.

Other predictions

Muguruza def Suarez Navarro (3 sets)
Wozniacki def Pennetta (2 tight sets)