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In the must-watch ladies match on Day 5 of the Australian Open 2019, former champions Caroline Wozniacki and Maria Sharapova meet in a blockbuster third round face-off. This is one match that surely deserves to be played in the latter rounds of any Major, but Sharapova's low ranking of No. 30 has pitted her against the defending champion and third seed this early.
The five-time Grand Slam champion leads their head-to-head record 6-4 and won their last meeting, which was way back in 2015 on the clay of Madrid.
However, a lot has happened since then. Sharapova came back from a drug suspension and could never match the heights of her first career. A slew of errors and inconsistency have always robbed her of chances even when she started a match in promising fashion.
In contrast, the Dane, who is now perched at No. 3 in the world, has seen her career trajectory go upward in the last couple of years. A win at the WTA Finals in 2017 was followed by her biggest achievement till date - her maiden Slam triumph in Melbourne in 2018.
There is clearly more hunger, more poise, and much more consistency, something that has been evident even in the way she has begun her title defence, dropping just 11 games on her way to Round 3.
Sharapova too has been ruthless in her first couple of rounds. Turning back the clock, she has given glimpses of the Maria of yore as she blitzed through to the Round of 32, at the expense of just three games.
However, against a solid Wozniacki and her relentless defence, it all might break down too soon. Wozniacki's patience can very much expose Sharapova's loopholes and the Dane should be the favourite to notch up her third Grand Slam win in a row over the 2008 winner.
Here is all you need to know about the match:
Match: (3) Caroline Wozniacki vs (30) Maria Sharapova
Date: 18. 01. 2019.
Round: Third
Time: Not before 3.30pm AEDT or 10 am IST; it is the third match on the Rod Laver Arena in the morning session.
Where to Watch Details:
India: Matches will be shown live on TV on Sony SIX, Sony SIX HD, Sony Ten 2, and Sony Ten 2 HD. Matches can also be streamed live on SonyLiv.
USA: ESPN2 and Tennis Channel.
Australia: Channel 9 - Wide World of Sports, 9Gem, and 9Now.
Europe: Eurosport TV channel and on the Eurosport Player live streaming service
All matches can also be streamed live on the official Australian Open website.
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