Wimbledon 2013 ladies draw: Serena looks to continue her ruthless dominance

The battle has already begun even before the year’s most regal Slam has got under way. With the top women firing salvos at each other, one simply can’t wait to see what unravels when these two in-form Wimbledon champions – Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova – cross swords in the final. But there are six rounds to go before that and the Wimbledon ladies draw has thrown up some interesting and riveting blockbusters right from Day 1. We take a look at some of these possibly mouthwatering encounters as we dissect the draw.

First Quarter

This quarter belongs to the seemingly invincible defending champion Serena Williams who is coming to the verdant green turf of Wimbledon riding on a 31-match winning streak. With her imperious form, one simply can’t bet against the French Open champion, but there might be a few former Wimbledon ladies semi-finalists for her to tackle – Zheng Jie and Sabine Lisicki. The Chinese was the one who imposed a menacing threat on her last year and the five-time Wimbledon winner had barely managed to edge her in the third round. But circumstances are different now and a repeat should be ruled out. As far as the German is concerned, Lisicki has made it her right to knock off reigning Roland Garros champions from Wimbledon. Having done it thrice already, she will look to emulate her own feat but Serena might just prove to be an insuperable barrier for her. Besides, Lisicki has to first contend with the highly confident Elena Vesnina coming off a dream week in Eastbourne.

Semifinalist: Serena Williams

First round matches to watch: Sabine Lisicki v Francesca Schiavone, Maria Kirilenko v Laura Robson, Bethanie Mattek-Sands v Angelique Kerber

Potential upsets: Laura Robson defeats Maria Kirilenko (first round), Bethanie Mattek-Sands defeats Angelique Kerber (first round).

Second Quarter

The Polish No. 1 and last year’s runner-up, Agnieszka Radwanska, heads this part of the draw. Can she do an encore? That seems highly unlikely as she is drawn to lock horns with Serena in the semi-finals. Can she reach the semi-finals? Her path is fraught with danger. The next highest seed is Li Na who made it as far as the Wimbledon quarter-finals in 2010. But what is more important is the fact that this quarter is bubbling with streaky women who have just found an extra gear ahead of Wimbledon – Daniela Hantuchova and Simona Halep, who emerged triumphant in Birmingham and Rosmalen respectively. Apart from them are Tsvetana Pironkova, who seems to find her mojo at SW19 and a very promising youngster, Madison Keys, who is perfectly suited to the swift surfaces. Even though the fourth seed loves grass, her stunning first round loss to Jamie Hampton at Eastbourne doesn’t appear to bode well for her, ahead of the year’s third Slam.

Semifinalist: Daniela Hantuchova

First round matches to watch: Heather Watson v Madison Keys, Monica Niculescu v Mona Barthel, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Tsvetana Pironkova, Karolina Pliskova v Nadia Petrova.

Potential upsets: Tsvetana Pironkova defeats Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (first round), Daniela Hantuchova defeats Li Na (third round).

Third Quarter

Maria Sharapova leads the top section of the bottom half of the draw. She should be determined to reach the final to settle scores with Serena after their French Open final and the recent volatile exchange. Also, she has last year’s fourth round exit to turn around this year. Indeed, the Russian has a lot on her platter to prove but not before withstanding a few hiccups in her quarter. She opens against the very talented and fast rising youngster, Kristina Mladenovic. If the French girl tests her early, the road only gets tougher with the gritty Lucie Safarova lurking in the third round. Besides, in her part of the draw are hovering four women who have the potential to be dangerous on grass – Caroline Wozniacki, who reached the Eastbourne semi-finals, Jamie Hampton, who made it to the Eastbourne final, Donna Vekic, who replicated a young Sharapova-like run in Birmingham and Marion Bartoli, who is notorious for scalping Justine Henin and Serena Williams at Wimbledon. Are they dangerous enough to topple the 2004 Wimbledon champion? The answer is a resounding no but they will certainly make Sharapova far more battle hardy before the big finale.

Semifinalist: Maria Sharapova

First round matches to watch: Sara Errani v Monica Puig, Sloane Stephens v Jamie Hampton, Petra Cetkovska v Donna Vekic, Maria Sharapova v Kristina Mladenovic.

Potential upsets: Jamie Hampton defeats Sloane Stephens (first round), Jamie Hampton defeats Andrea Petkovic (second round), Donna Vekic defeats Caroline Wozniacki (second round).

Fourth Quarter

This quarter is anchored by the woman who has been quietly preparing herself for battle royale – Victoria Azarenka. And she does have headache in the form of the ever unpredictable 2011 champion, Petra Kvitova. The Czech is in the news again for her reported relationship with Radek Stepanek but it is a long time since she was in the news for her achievements on the court, especially at the big stage. Will the pristine green courts of Wimbledon change that? It is tough to predict but she does play Azarenka well, having won their last four matches which includes two victories on grass. But the Belarusian World No. 2’s solid consistency might have a thing or two to say. She has a relatively less worrisome draw with her first threat coming in the form of Jelena Jankovic in the fourth round. The eighth seed, meanwhile, has a host of difficulties in her way – Yaroslava Shvedova, Ekaterina Makarova and Ana Ivanovic. They might be, in theory, less lethal on grass when Kvitova is in form but can be way too menacing on the days she is vulnerable.

Semifinalist: Victoria Azarenka

First round matches to watch: Yulia Putintseva v Kirsten Flipkens, Ana Ivanovic v Virginie Razzano.

Potential upset: Ekaterina Makarova defeats Petra Kvitova (third round).

Semi-finals:

Serena is gunning for her 17th Slam and only a miracle can prevent that from happening. Maria Sharapova exhibited in Paris that she is way too hungry to reach the elite finals once again, and she will if her serve catches fire.

Results: Serena Williams defeats Daniela HantuchovaMaria Sharapova defeats Victoria Azarenka

Final: Serena Williams defeats Maria Sharapova