In a repeat of the 2018 US Open quarterfinal, former World No. 1 Serena Williams will be up against the seventh-seeded Czech Karolina Pliskova in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open 2019.
Watch & bet on Serena Williams v Karolina Pliskova live with bet365 here* on Wednesday, January 23. The Williams v Pliskova will not be played before 1 pm local time (3 am BST).
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Pliskova Maintains Her Winning Momentum
World No. 8 Karolina Pliskova started her 2019 season by winning the Premier-level title in Brisbane. After that, she travelled to Melbourne where she has done exceptionally well to continue on her winning path.
She has been in control, more or less, throughout the tournament. In her first three rounds, she moved past the likes of Karolina Muchova, Madison Brengle, and Camila Giorgi without any major difficulties.
In the fourth round, she met the Spaniard Garbine Muguruza, whom she defeated 6-3, 6-1, in just one hour. It was a display of pure precision and some impeccable shot placements. She kept her first service win rate at 82% and converted five break points out of seven.
More impressively, the reigning Stuttgart Open champion committed only three unforced errors throughout the match – the lowest in the tournament so far.
Pliskova is known for her anticipation and ability to read the match. She covers a lot of ground quickly and given her experience, has the ability to pull some big wins.
Williams Knocks Out Halep
In her opening matches in Melbourne, Serena Williams breezed past her opponents without as much as breaking a sweat. She dispatched Tatjana Maria, Eugenie Bouchard, and Dayana Yastremska in straight sets, losing only nine games in these three matches.
In the fourth round, she was pitted against the World No. 1 Simona Halep – an eventuality that everyone saw coming. It was here that Williams was truly tested for the first time this season. While she won the first set 6-1, Halep pulled one back and took the second set 6-4.
Ultimately, at the one hour and 49 minutes mark, Williams won the match 6-1, 4-6, 6-4. She had 44 winners compared to Halep’s 24 although, she did commit 31 unforced errors – twice as much as the Romanian’s.
Williams big service has been a strong point of her game throughout this tournament. That, coupled with her incredibly powerful forehand, has left many players stunned. Halep was one of them and while she was really good at times, she just couldn’t find a way past Serena’s big service.
Williams v Pliskova – Head to Head
The two players have met only thrice so far and Serena presently leads by 2-1. They last met in the quarterfinal of the US Open last season where Serena won in straight sets.
Williams v Pliskova Tips & Predictions
The two players have a rather similar style of play. Both of them have an excellent first serve and they like to approach the net as often as possible. At the same time, Pliskova likes to chase the ball around the court while Serena, at times, relies on her powerful forehand to do the trick.
The key here for Pliskova will be to keep her unforced errors count low and capitalise on Williams’ mistakes. This match is actually quite close to call but it is going to be an entertaining one nonetheless.
You can watch & bet on Serena Williams v Karolina Pliskova live with bet365 here on Wednesday, January 23.
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