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Arina Rodionova faces the difficult task of taking on world No.20 Caroline Wozniacki in Round 1 of the Australian Open. Join The Roar for live scores from around 2:30pm (AEDT).
Having secured a wild card, Rodionova is hunting her first ever Grand Slam main-draw win against the former world No.1.
The 27-year-old Aussie kicked off the new year in Auckland, having spent the back end of 2016 on the ITF Pro Circuit. After gaining qualification to the main draw with a win over Nao Hibino, she soon exited at the hands of Varvara Lepchenko.
Rodionova then went to Sydney, where she went down in the first round to eventual winner Johanna Konta 6-3, 6-4.
Wozniacki is at Melbourne chasing her first ever Grand Slam, having previously been to the semis here in 2011, and this match should see the Dane fly through to the second round.
So far this year, Wozniacki secured straight sets wins over Nicole Gibbs and Varvara Lepchenko in the opening rounds at Auckland, before going down in three to Julia Goerges during the quarter-finals.
At Sydney, she knocked out Olympic gold medallist Monica Puig 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 before besting Yulia Putintseva 6-0, 7-5, then eventually losing out to Barbora Strycova 7-5, 6-7, 6-4.
She now has three wins in her last five matches and with a good draw on her side, may well march through to the final stages of the tournament.
Rodionova and Wozniacki have never played each other before, and the winner will play either Donna Vekic or Aussie wild card Lizette Cabrera.
Prediction
Wozniacki in straight sets.
Join The Roar for live scores from around 2:30pm (AEDT), following the completion of sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova and Denisa Allertova, and drop a comment in the box below if you’re watching the match.
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