Despite being almost 50 places above Annika Beck in the rankings, it is 7th seed Angelique Kerber that has had the biggest test so far this tournament. This match opens the action at Rod Laver Arena with the winner to face either 14th seed Victoria Azarenka or Barbora Strycova in the quarterfinals.
Routes to the Fourth Round
It has been a comfortable road for both women for the most part, though Kerber came close to defeat in the opening round. The 7th seed started against Misaki Doi. That should have been a comfortable win for the German, but she had to save a match point as she edged the Japanese player 6-7, 7-6, 6-3 in a thrilling match. However, Kerber responded well from that match, easing past Alexandra Dulgheru 6-2, 6-4 and then Madison Brengle 6-1 6-3 to get to this point. She has certainly improved and will be tough to beat.
Beck has been extremely impressive so far. She is yet to concede more than three games in a set. Beck started with an extremely comfortable 6-3, 6-0 win over wildcard Priscilla Hon and then upset 11th seed Timea Bacsinszky in the second round. Another impressive performance followed, as she beat fellow German and good friend Laura Siegemund 6-0, 6-4. Beck has played extremely well so far and will have lots of confidence.
Analysis
This is the first meeting between the two, though they will probably know quite a lot about how each other's play. It will certainly be interesting to see how their respective games match up and it will also be interesting to see who comes out with a better start.
After her performances in the last two rounds, it seems unlikely that Kerber will put in a poor performance. Beck has a good chance however, if the 7th seed is as bad as she was in the opening round. Kerber's game is pretty solid when in her best form and her strong defense could well hurt Beck. Kerber should look to finish the points early as it wouldn't be beneficial for her to be brought into any punishing rallies with Beck.
Beck should also look to keep the rallies short for a different reason. The longer they go on, the better the chances of Kerber winning those rallies. The lower-ranked German will need to serve well herself, but should also attack Kerber's relatively weak second serve at every opportunity she gets. In general, Beck must look to attack and avoid making too many errors. Kerber will certainly look to take advantage of any miscues.
Assessment
Beck has the capability to cause an upset, but Kerber goes into this as the favorite. The 7th seed should win this and it could well be in straight sets, though Beck will most likely make life difficult for Kerber on quite a few occasions.
Prediction: Angelique Kerber in two sets