WTA Stanford – Thursday Preview

Maria Sharapova will begin her campaign at the Bank of the West Classic with a second round showdown against Daniela Hantuchova.

Maria Sharapova has been in terrific form this season, and she enters this year’s Bank of the West Classic with a 32-8 match record. The Russian has worked her way back up the rankings, and she’s now the world No. 5. She’s the second seed for this competition, and on current form seems destined for a lengthy run here. Sharapova has been handed a tough second round draw against Daniela Hantuchova in Stanford, and she’ll need to maintain her current level of play. Hantuchova is currently the world No. 21, and narrowly missed out on a seeding this week. On top of this, she’s been playing fairly well this year, and will be aiming for her second WTA title of the year.

Whilst Hantuchova has the ability to threaten Sharapova’s title charge, it’s worth noting that Sharapova has a 7-1 head to head record against the Slovakian. Given that the Russian has been racking up the wins this season, it seems like she’ll prevail on Thursday unless Hantuchova can rise to the occasion.

Serena Williams vs. Maria Kirilenko

Serena Williams will take on Maria Kirilenko on Thursday for a place in the quarter-finals of the Bank of the West Classic.

Serena Williams entered this week’s Bank of the West Classic as a wildcard entrant, though she seems destined for a return to the top of the WTA rankings. She made the best possible start to this competition on Wednesday by beating Anastasia Rodionova 6-0, 6-0.

Having wrapped up her first round victory in a mere 47 minutes, Williams appears to be a serious contender for the title. She might not be quite back to her best just yet, but she’s clearly playing well enough to be a threat to anyone in the draw here in Stanford.

Her next match will be a second round clash against world No. 25 Maria Kirilenko. Kirilenko is a very capable opponent, but she’ll enter this contest with a 0-4 head to head record against Williams. To add to this, she lost to the former world No. 1 at Wimbledon last month, and it looks like she’s set for an uphill struggle on Thursday.

Samantha Stosur vs. Sabine Lisicki

Samantha Stosur faces a difficult second round showdown at the Bank of the West Classic on Thursday against Sabine Lisicki.

Samantha Stosur is the fourth seed in this week’s Bank of the West Classic and was given a bye in round one. The Australian is expected to be one of the main contenders for the title here in Stanford, and she’ll be vying for her first WTA title of the season here.

She’s been given a tough second round matchup against Sabine Lisicki of Germany. Lisicki has an impressive 33-12 match record for the season, and appears to be a title challenger as well. Lisicki has already picked up one WTA title this year, and she’s climbed up to No. 26 in the world rankings. With her powerful serve and groundstrokes, the youngster should have a bright future ahead of her.

Stosur currently holds a 4-0 head to head record against Lisicki, though the pairing last met in 2009. Lisicki has improved since then, and this time around she might finally be able to give the world No. 10 a real test. The result of this clash is a difficult one to call, and it looks like this will be one of the most exciting matchups of the tournament.

Victoria Azarenka vs. Marina Erakovic

Victoria Azarenka will start her bid for the Bank of the West Classic title with a second round tie against Marina Erakovic.

Victoria Azarenka is the top seed in this week’s Bank of the West Classic, where she’ll be out to claim her third WTA title of the season. The Belarusian has clearly made improvements over the past few years, and as the current world No. 4 she stands out as one of the best players in the whole of the WTA.

Azarenka was given a bye in the first round, and she’ll begin her campaign here in Stanford with a second round matchup against Marina Erakovic. Erakovic entered this tournament as the world No. 121, and she currently holds a 36-10 match record for the season. Her form in ITF competition has been excellent, and it might not be long until we see Erakovic compete more frequently at the top level.

Despite this, Erakovic is likely to be outclassed by Azarenka on Thursday. Azarenka has never previously met Erakovic in WTA competition, but this shouldn’t cloud any pre-match predictions. Erakovic’s displays this year are worthy of respect, but she doesn’t seem ready just yet to be a threat to a player of Azarenka’s calibre.