WTA Wimbledon – Women’s Tuesday Preview

Petra Kvitova vs. Tsvetana Pironkova

Petra Kvitova will meet Tsvetana Pironkova on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2011.

In a match between 2 of last year’s semi-finalists, Petra Kvitova will take on Tsvetana Pironkova on Tuesday in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2011. Kvitova has looked almost unstoppable here at the All-England Club, but has sneaked under the radar somewhat as a genuine challenger for this year’s title.

Things certainly look good for the young Czech tight now, as she’s eased through the first 4 rounds without even coming close to losing a set. Having only lost 15 games in the tournament so far, Kvitova is evidently on top form, and her 6-0, 6-2 win against No. 19 seed Yanina Wickmayer won’t have gone unnoticed.

Although Kvitova has excelled here, she can’t afford to let her standards slip against Pironkova. Pironkova is an exceptional player on this surface, and this was outlined by her 6-2, 6-3 victory over five-time champion Venus Williams. Whilst Williams might not be fully fit, this was still a superb achievement. With all of this in mind, it looks like Tuesday’s quarter-final clash between this pairing could be a classic.

Marion Bartoli vs. Sabine Lisicki

Marion Bartoli will take on plucky underdog Sabine Lisicki in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2011.

Former Wimbledon runner-up Marion Bartoli secured an encouraging victory over Serena Williams on Monday in round 4 (6-3, 7-6), and could well be on her way to another final here at the All-England Club. It could even be argued that the world No. 9 has a big chance of winning the title, especially now that both of the Williams sisters and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki are no longer in the draw. Despite this, Bartoli has a difficult contest ahead of her, as she will face Sabine Lisicki in the last eight. Lisicki is unseeded here, but her big serve is a massive weapon on this surface. We’ve already seen that Lisicki can mix it with the best, and Bartoli will be well aware that she’s going to be standing on the opposite side of the court to the woman who eliminated French open champion Na Li in round 2.

Whilst Bartoli defeated Lisicki here in straight sets in 2008, the German now has a 2-1 head to head record against her following wins on clay in Charleston this season and in 2009. Now that Lisicki has more experience behind her, she’s an obvious threat to Bartoli’s chances. Bartoli will enter this match as the favourite, but there is a lot of potential for an upset on Tuesday.

Maria Sharapova vs. Dominika Cibulkova

Maria Sharapova will take on Dominika Cibulkova on Tuesday for a place in the final 4 at Wimbledon 2011.

Maria Sharapova continued her dominant streak of form at Wimbledon 2011 with a 6-4, 6-2 win against Peng Shuai in the fourth round on Monday. The former champion is being hotly tipped as the favourite to win this year’s event, and given that she’s been enjoying a successful season so far, it seems like the Russian deserves the tag.

Both of the Williams sisters were eliminated on Monday, as was world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. With this in mind, Sharapova will surely be eager to make the most of what seems to be a real opportunity. She will next face Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia in the quarter-finals.

Cibulkova was responsible for the elimination of Wozniacki in round four, showing great determination to secure a 1-6, 7-6, 7-5 success. Cibulkova will have the odds stacked against her again on Tuesday, but if she can produce more blistering winners like she did against the world No. 1 she’ll be in with a chance. To add to this, Cibulkova has won her last 2 matches against the world No. 6, and really shouldn’t be overlooked.

Victoria Azarenka vs. Tamira Paszek

Victoria Azarenka will aim to close in on the Wimbledon title on Tuesday when she meets Tamira Paszek in the quarter-finals of Wimbledon 2011.

Victoria Azarenka’s Wimbledon title challenge this year has been an impressive one so far, and the fourth seed finds herself just 3 wins away from a maiden Slam title. With the exit of both Williams sisters on Monday, Azarenka is now surely in with a big chance of making a name for herself here at the All-England Club.

The young Belarusian showed no signs of nerves in round four, where she made light work of Nadia Petrova, eventually clinching a 6-2, 6-2 win. If she keeps this up, it’s hard to see many players giving her much trouble. She’ll need to maintain this level of play though, and it will be intriguing to see how she fares against her quarter-final opponent, world No. 80 Tamira Paszek.

Paszek made a few headlines in round 3 by getting past French Open runner-up Francesca Schiavone, before reaching the last eight with a hard fought 6-2, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Ksenia Pervak. The young Austrian will enter this upcoming match with nothing to lose, and there’s every reason to believe that she’ll be competitive. Even so, it looks like she’s set for an uphill struggle.