Serena Williams vs Agnieszka Radwanska preview
Thursday January 28, 2016 11:00am – Rod Laver Arena
Serena Williams took a step closer to seventh Australian Open final by defeating Maria Sharapova for the 18th-time in a row in the quarter-finals. Next up for the World No. 1 is the in-form Polish player Agnieszka Radwanska. But can the World No. 5 push Serena all the way?
Can Serena be stopped?
It is fair to say that Serena Williams has barely been tested on her way to the Australian Open semi-finals. Since losing nine games to Camila Giorgi in Round 1, the American has cruised her way through each match and has never looked in danger of losing a set.
Serena poured more misery on her long-time rival Maria Sharapova by winning her 18th straight match against the Russian. It was another routine performance for a player who has perhaps come into her peak at the age of 34.
Williams will go into the semi-final with an 8-0 record against Radwanska.
Radwanska enjoying purple patch
Agneszka Radwanska has yet to win a match against Serena in eight previous encounters, but what better place to start, than in the semi-final of a Grand Slam event.
Since winning the WTA finals at the end of 2015, the World No. 5 has continued her great form and could cause some problems for her opponent.
In the last round, she put on a superb display to send tenth-ranked Carla Suarez Navarro packing in just over an hour.
She will now play in her fifth Grand Slam final and attempt to reach her second ever final. Her only previous appearance in a Grand Slam final came at Wimbledon back in 2012 when she lost to Williams in two sets.
Prediction
Radwanska and Williams have not met since 2013 but both players are at the top of their game. So who will win?
History points to a Williams win, but the statistics show that there is little to separate these players.
As is often the case, much will depend on how well Radwanska can deal with the Williams serve. If she can avoid getting overwhelmed in that department, she has the ability to compete in every other area and could pull of a surprise win.
Thanks to some generous odds, Radwanska to win 2-1 is worth backing at 10/1 with Bet365