(Rank/Seed)
1/1 Williams donned her pink cap and did what she had to do to get past experienced Slovak, (33/31) Hantuchova 63 63. The only time Serena had lost to her opponent was in the third round at this very tournament back in 2006, which could have augured badly. Though her baseline game was relatively off compared to previous rounds (11 winners to 18 unforced errors), Serena's serve saved her as she hit 10 aces, some on second serves, often when Daniela had break point. Williams would finally lose her serve for the first time this tournament in the 6th game of the second set, but broke back immediately, taking advantage of Daniela's comparatively slow court coverage. This was her 61st win at the Australian Open, an all time record as well as her 25th successive match victory!
2/2 Azarenka crushed Austrian, Meusberger 61 60. After trading breaks in the first two games, Azarenka found her rhythm during the long rallies for her most comprehensive win since the US Open first round last year. Later, she entertained the crowd with her ball girl impression.
3/3 Sharapova is still skating on thin ice, scraping past France's, (25/25) Cornet 61 76(6). Initially, Sharapova showed no signs of fatigue from her previous marathon, bulldozing her way through a defensive Cornet in the first set. However, she lost all her rhythm in the second when she trailed 1-3 before winning 4 straight games. After missing a match point at 5-3, she then failed to serve out the match at both 5-4 and 6-5, even saving a set point down 5-6 in the tiebreak! In the end, she finished with 35 winners to 35 unforced errors, but her serving and big point consistency still leave a lot to be desired.
4/4 Li was very nearly sent home, surviving match point against Czech, (26/26) Safarova 16 76(2) 63. Though Li had won 6 of their previous 7 meetings, many had been close and Li started terribly. She couldn't hit a barn door, making an incredible 20 unforced errors in the first 8 games! Though she had to save break points in almost every service game in the second set, she extended the rallies and managed to hang in the set. Still, Safarova served for the match at 5-3 (from the impossible sunny end) and even had a match point at 6-5, which she narrowly missed with a backhand down the line. Lucie's self doubt was now self evident and Li dominated the tiebreak and broke clear from 3-3 in the third, though her 17 winners to 50 unforced errors tells the tale of a very lucky Li Na!
5/5 Radwanska had to survive a battering ram, edging Russia's (30/29) Pavlyuchenkova 57 62 62. Trailing 57 0-2, it looked as if Radwanska would relent against a barrage of winners, but she stuck to her game plan (tenacious counterpunching) in outlasting her mercurial opponent, winning 9 straight games on her way to the fourth round.
8/8 Jankovic claimed she felt as if she were playing the Japanese Open as she played and defeated a third straight woman from the country, this time Nara 64 75, recovering from 2-5 and set point at 4-5 down to win.
9/9 Kerber was at her retrieving best against much improved American, Riske to win 63 64.
Spain's (38/-) Muguruza, fresh off her maiden title in Hobart upset (10/10) Wozniacki for the second time in as many meetings, this time coming back to win 46 75 63. The 20 year old stuck to her untypical Spanish game of hitting all out from start to finish, gradually finding the court more as the match wore on. Wozniacki was cool under pressure when she won the first set from 2-4 down, but despite leading the whole way through the second without any breaks, she capitulated in the decisive 11th game after missing several game points. She was then left to rue missed break point opportunities in the third set as she capitulated in yet another serious setback in a major tournament. For Muguruza, this is her first second week at a major whilst it marks the 8th straight major in which Wozniacki has failed to reach the quarters and her worst Australian Open exit since 2009!
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