From the 128 women that started in the draw, only four remain in contention for the Australian Open. Surprisingly, none of the big three of Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova or Victoria Azarenka will be there to claim it.
And what an enticing line-up we have, with the oldest woman and the youngest woman remaining to clash in one semi-final, while the other will feature two women who are short in height and separated in age by just two months.
Victoria Azarenka’s demise in the quarter-finals to Agnieszka Radwanska means that there will be a fresh new name on the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Trophy, which will make Thursday’s two semi-finals compelling viewing.
For only the second time since the 2011 US Open, none of the aforementioned big three will put their hands on a Grand Slam trophy.
Eugenie Bouchard (30) vs. Li Na (4)
Head-to-head: Li 1-0
Last meeting: Li 6-2, 6-2, second round, 2012 Rogers Cup
Following the dismissals of Ana Ivanovic and Victoria Azarenka from the quarter-finals, to follow the fourth round departures of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova, Li Na is now in the box seat to finally capture the Australian Open title that has eluded her in two of the last three years.
The Chinese has, apart from a near-disaster against Lucie Safarova in the third round, romped through the draw with four straight-forward victories.
This included a 6-2, 6-2 thrashing of Flavia Pennetta in the quarter-finals as she demonstrated why she deserves to be one of the favourites for the title at Melbourne Park.
With her nearest rivals crashing out after one another, the title is now hers to lose.
The oldest woman remaining in the draw will face off against the youngest woman remaining in the draw in the form of Canadian upstart Eugenie Bouchard, who came from a set down to send Ivanovic packing in Tuesday’s quarter-final.
Not only did the Canadian repeat the dose on the giant-killing Serb at a Grand Slam in the quarter-finals, she may have also usurped her as the new glamour queen of women’s tennis, with that match attracting the attention of photographers and television viewers.
Her rise up the ranks over the past twelve months, in which she has slashed her ranking by more than 110 places, was what earned her the title as the WTA’s Newcomer of the Year last year, with a top 25 berth guaranteed once the rankings are updated next week.
The fairytale of this year’s Australian Open could further extend into Saturday’s final, but the big stage experience of Li Na and the 12-year age gap should prove too much to overcome.
Prediction: Li in straight sets.
Dominika Cibulkova (20) vs. Agnieszka Radwanska (5)
Head-to-head: Radwanska 4-1
Last meeting: Radwanska 6-3, 6-4, third round, 2013 Toray Pan Pacific Open
For all the talk that was thrown up of a possible grunt-off between Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova to decide the finalist from the bottom half of the draw, instead it will be their conquerors who will meet in this high-stakes semi-final.
Fifth seed and former Wimbledon finalist Agnieszka Radwanska won her way through to her first Australian Open semi-final by ending the title defence of Victoria Azarenka in the quarter-finals.
Radwanska is now odds-on to win through to what will be her second Grand Slam final after losing to Serena Williams at the All England Club 18 months ago.
To get to this stage, she had to endure three three-setters against Yulia Putintseva, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Azarenka, but also enjoyed straight-forward victories over Olga Govortsova and Garbine Muguruza.
Standing in the way of her and a possible date with Li Na in Saturday’s final is the short but smart figure that is Dominika Cibulkova, the fourth round conqueror of Maria Sharapova.
Cibulkova, seeded 20th, is only into her second Grand Slam semi-final after previously reaching this stage at the 2009 French Open. It was her experience of reaching numerous Grand Slam quarter-finals which proved vital in her 6-3, 6-0 thrashing of a very nervous Simona Halep.
Not only did she beat Sharapova in the fourth round, she also defeated another former French Open champion, Francesca Schiavone, in round one. Cibulkova has also rocketed her way past Stefanie Voegele and Carla Suarez Navarro, losing only one game in each.
Now, only Agnieszka Radwanska and a 1-4 record, including a double-bagel loss in the final of the Sydney International last year in their most recent meeting Down Under, stands in the way of Cibulkova and a maiden Grand Slam final.
But as with the first semi-final, experience and a lofty world ranking should be what works in Radwanska’s favour, as the Pole looks to turn her first Australian Open semi-final into a second Grand Slam final.
Prediction: Radwanska in straight sets.
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