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The power of Dominika Cibulkova clashes against the artistry of Agnieszka Radwanska in what should be a fascinating Australian Open semi-final between two players with contrasting styles. Join us for live scores and commentary from 3.30pm AEDT.
Both Cibulkova and Radwanska come into today’s semi-final on the back of outstanding performances in their victories over Simona Halep and Victoria Azarenka respectively.
Cibulkova has used her aggressive groundstrokes to great effect against Halep and Sharapova in recent matches and she will need to so here against Radwanska.
The Slovakian will have to dictate terms from inside the baseline if she is to make use of her strong backhand and forehand.
Radwanska on the other hand relies heavily on her ability to chase balls down and construct points using a variety of slices, lobs and groundstrokes that vary greatly in pace and direction.
In her quarter-final victory over Azarenka, Radwanska simply outsmarted the reigning Australian Open champion.
Her ability to defend on the baseline, coupled with her smart shot selection really upset Azarenka’s aggressive game.
Cibulkova has a similar style to that of Azarenka and it remains to be seen if the Slovakian has the smarts to outplay Radwanska here.
Radwanska holds a dominant winning record against Cibulkova, winning five of their past six matches.
If Cibulkova is any chance of causing the upset, she will have to find her range with her ground strokes very early in the contest.
Like Serena Williams has already proven, the only way to beat Radwanska is to dominate from inside the baseline and hit close to the lines.
If Cibulkova manages to do that, her chances of making a first ever grand slam final will increase. If not, Radwanska’s crafty play on court will prove too difficult to overcome.
Radwanska in three sets.