We preview the second men’s and women’s semi-finals at the 2018 Australian Open.
Men’s SF 2
Hyeon Chung 17/4 | Roger Federer 1/7
On paper, this looks like a doddle for the 19-time Grand Slam champion. But anyone who has taking ten minutes to watch the South Korean- affectionately known as ‘The Professor’ due to his bespectacled visage- will know that this will be anything but a simple task for the Swiss maestro. The fact that they have never played before will also likely suit the player who has already dispatched of six time champion Novak Djokovic and the brothers Zverev. Federer increased his head-to-head record against Tomas Berdych to 20-6 after a commanding quarter-final victory.
Chung is almost exhausting to watch. His indefatigable spirit and smashing groundstrokes have been a breath of fresh air this year. Another thing he has is a magnetic on-court presence. Often times, less fancied players whom make it this far cower on the big stage- particularly coming up against a Nadal or Federer. Since winning that Next Gen tournament last season, Chung has started working with ATP Coach of the year Neville Goodwin. Goodwin helped guide Kevin Anderson to the US Open final and will have his eye on yet another unlikely final run.
Federer has been fairly serene, not even having to produce his best tennis to oust Berdych in the previous round. Regardless of what may be said in political correctness, Federer will be buoyed by the absence of Nadal in the draw. It allows him to extend his Grand Slam lead over Nadal. I think that Federer to win this looks quite appealing – one for the multiples perhaps?. While Chung has been impressive, Djokovic is on the comeback trail and Zverev has his own physical limitations.
Women’s SF 2
Angelique Kerber 13/20 | Simona Halep 23/20
It’s one of those rare occasions where the women’s draw has proved to be somewhat more predictable than the men’s. I knew that Kerber would be a force in this year’s event and she actually just edges World Number 1 Halep as the bookies’ favourite. Kerber is in sensational form, going on an unbeaten Hopman Cup run before claiming the title in Sydney. She is currently on a 14 match unbeaten streak and she comfortably disposed of hard-hitting American Madison Keys in the quarters. She also demolished Maria Sharapova and looks to be close to the form that saw her claim the tile here in 2016.
Halep has more to lose than anyone this week. Not only is she going for that all important maiden Grand Slam- lest we forget that epic French Open meltdown- but she has her Number One ranking under threat from Caroline Wozniacki. Halep will have been glad to dispatch of Pliskova so easily, especially considering that marathon match against Lauren Davis. These two have met on nine occasions with Kerber just edging it 5-4. More crucially, Kerber has won their last two meetings on hardcourts in straight sets. She also beat Halep in their only ever Grand Slam meeting: she won in straight sets in the 2016 Wimbledon Slam. Having said all that, they haven’t met since 2016.
Kerber seems to be operating at the same peak physical condition that saw her claim two Grand Slam titles in 2016. Halep seems burdened- similarly to Wozniacki- with the pressure of pairing a World Number 1 ranking with a Grand Slam title. The German is in sensational form and looks great value at 13/20.
