The action continues in Melbourne with the players from the bottom half of the draw fighting for a place in the quarter-finals. Bookmakers Review breaks down the fixtures below and lists the best available odds from green listed bookmakers.
Makarova vs. Konta
Two former Australian Open semi-finalists – Ekaterina Makarova and Johanna Konta – will face each other this Monday with a place in the quarter-finals at stake.
Konta couldn’t ask for a better start of the season. After winning the WTA Sydney last week, Johanna is just two wins away from reaching another semi-final in Melbourne. The British is playing at a superb level, losing only four games in her previous match against Caroline Wozniacki.
Playing in Melbourne is always special for Ekaterina Makarova with the Russian improving her winning record on this event to 76.32% after her victory over Dominika Cibulkova. Despite failing to close the match in the 2nd set after a 4 – 0 lead, Makarova showed a great determination in the third set to emerge victorious by 6 – 2 6 – 7 6 – 3.
These two players featured an epic battle in the 2016 Australian Open 4th round with Konta winning by 8 – 6 in the decisive set. Even though Makarova is always a fearful opponent on this event, this time we expect an easier scoreboard for Johanna. The bookmakers think the same with the British priced as the heavy favourite for this match at 31/100 at 5Dimes while Makarova is available at 13/5 at William Hill.
Pliskova vs. Gavrilova
After her triumph over Jelena Ostapenko in the previous round, Karolina Pliskova increased her record in 2017 to 8 – 0. The Czech featured a remarkable comeback from two breaks down in the third set. Even though Karolina didn’t play her best tennis, this kind of win is always a massive boost to the players’ confidence.
Known for her extraordinary fighting skills, Daria Gavrilova never goes down without a fight, especially in Melbourne where she always finds her best tennis. Despite her remarkable run, the Australian said that she was extremely tired on her previous round against Timea Bacsinszky and it won’t be easy for her to present her best tennis on a consistent basis.
Due to Pliskova’s 2 – 0 lead on the h2h, her higher experience and Gavrilova’s fatigue, the Czech is the undeniable favourite for this encounter at 29/100 at Coral while Bet365 offers 3/1 for Daria’s victory. Due to the low price on Karolina’s money line, we advise you to take her -4 game handicap at 73/100 at Pinnacle.
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