Seventh seed Angelique Kerber takes on Annika Beck in the fourth round of the 2016 Australian Open. Join The Roar for live scores from 11am (AEDT) on Rod Laver Arena.
Kerber has been in outstanding form in 2016, having participated in both the Brisbane and Sydney International during the lead-up to the Australian Open.
In Brisbane she made it all the way to the final, knocking off the likes of Carla Suarez Navarro, before falling to Victoria Azarenka in straight sets.
Upon arriving at the Open, she was dealt a tough first round draw against Misaki Doi, in a match that went to three sets.
From there though, it has all been smooth sailing for Kerber, grabbing straight-sets victories in the second and third round against Alexandra Dulgheru and Madison Brengle respectively.
Beck began her season in Shenzhen, bundled out in the first round by Alison Riske. From there, she went to the Hobart International, where she was knocked out in the second round, by Kiki Bertens.
Three straight-sets victories at the Open have been recoded this year, and while all the players were lower on the rankings than she, the wins will give Beck a stack of confidence.
The pair have never faced off before, but the hard court could be a telling factor – while Beck struggles to win 50 per cent of matches on the surface, Kerber has turned it into her best court, winning at nearly 70 per cent.
Prediction
Nothing has been certain in the women’s draw, with upset after upset. While I can’t see one occurring here, Kerber should still be pushed all the way to three sets by the youthful Beck.
Kerber in three sets.
Be sure to join The Roar for live scores of this match from 11am (AEDT) and don’t forget to add your own comments in the section below as the match unfolds.
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