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Can Simona Halep progress to the Sydney International semi-finals, or will Karolina Pliskova cause a huge upset? Join The Roar for live scores from around 4pm (AEDT), after Pablo Cuevas versus Grigor Dimitrov.
First seed Halep is coming off a tough win over Caroline Garcia. The world number two was stretched to three sets, eventually winning 6-4, 2-6, 6-1.
It was the Romanian’s first match of the season after she pulled out of the Brisbane International with a leg injury.
She has so far enjoyed her summer in Australia under the guidance of 1988 US Open semi-finalist Darren Cahill, and will be hoping she can go deep into the Australian Open after she had her best grand slam finish, the quarter-finals, in Melbourne in 2015.
Halep has won five of her last ten matches, with her win-loss record weighed down after losses at the back end of last year at the WTA Championships where she lost to both eventual winner Agnieszka Radwanska and semi-finalist Maria Sharapova in the round robin stage.
Pliskova meanwhile, is seeded fifth in the Sydney International, and has won seven of her last ten matches.
The Czech began her tournament earlier in the week with a win over world number 22 Ana Ivanovic in straight sets 6-4, 6-2. She followed this up with a second-round victory over Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 6-3, 6-0, and shapes as a real threat to Halep.
Pliskova has played some great tennis in 2016, and she must fancy her chances of progressing to the semi-finals.
The two players have met on two occasions, both in 2015 and both going the way of Halep. The Romanian won in staight sets in the final at Dubai, before another two-set victory in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters, which Halep eventually went on to win after defeating world number one Serena Williams in the semi-finals and then Jelena Jankovic in the final.
The winner will progress to the semis and play either Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sara Errani.
Prediction
Pliskova will stretch the match, but Halep to prevail in three sets.
Join The Roar for live scores from around 4pm (AEDT) following the completion of Pablo Cuevas and second seed Grigor Dimitrov, and comment below if you’re watching the match.
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