2014 Australian Open (Day 11) Women’s Semifinals Preview: Cibulkova vs. Radwanska, Bouchard vs. Li [Live Streaming Info]
The women's singles semifinals of the 2014 Australian Open was set onTuesday after Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia and Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland beat separate higher-seeded rivals. Cibulkova and Radwanska face each other on Wednesday afternoon right after Eugenie Bouchard of Canada and Li Na of China meet earlier in the day in the other half of t he final four.
Bouchard is the first Canadian to advance to a tennis major semifinal after Carling Basset achieved the feat in 1984 at the U.S. Open. The 30th seed faces Li Na, who is now favoured to win it all in Melbourne after the top seeds—No. 1 seed Serene Williams, No. 2. Victoria Azarenka and No. 3 Maria Sharapova—were served the upsets earlier in the week.
It was Radwanska who was responsible for the Azarenka ouster. She beat the Belarusian in three sets, 6-1, 5-7, 6-0, in the quarters to advance against Cibulkova, who delivered her own huge upset victory against Russian Sharapova in the Round of 16.
Futures/Outright Betting - To Win Women's Singles Title of 2014 Australian Open
Li (2.00)
Cibulkova (9.50)
Radwanska (2.80)
Bouchard (9.5)
Teenage Sensation vs. Veteran: Eugenie Bouchard (CAN) vs. Li Na (CHN) at 1:30 pm
Match Odds: Bouchard (4.45) vs. Li (1.21)
Game Handicap: Bouchard (+5.5) vs. Li (-5.5)
All-time head-to-head (1 meeting): Li leads Bouchard, 1-0
Bouchard was just a five-year old toddler when Li turned pro in 1999—marking an interesting match-up between a youngster who’s on her way to the top and a veteran campaigner who wants to prove she belongs with the elite. The only meeting between the Canadian and Chinese was in 2012 in Montreal, Canada, where Li prevailed in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.
Prediction: Bouchard def. Li, 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Sharapova/Azarenka Killers: Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) at 3:00 pm
Match Odds: Cibulkova (2.87) vs. Radwanska (1.42)
Game Handicap: Cibulkova (+3.5) vs. Radwanska (-3.5)
All-time head-to-head (6 meetings): Radwanska leads Cibulkova, 5-1
Radwanska won the first four match-ups with Cibulkova before the latter got her first win. Radwanska is 2-1 against her Slovakian rival in 2013, including a Round of 16 victory in Tokyo, Japan, in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4.
Prediction: Cibulkova def. Radwanska, 7-5, 7-6 (5)
Watch the semis via AO TV Live.