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We have now reached the final four of the women's singles tournament in Melbourne and have two high-quality matches ahead of us. The first of these matches will feature World No. 1 and home favorite Ashleigh Barty take on the young American Sofia Kenin, and the second we will see title favorite Simona Halep take on former World No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Garbine Muguruza.
Here's a preview of each match:
Ashleigh Barty vs Sofia Kenin
Both Barty and Kenin have been in good form and are coming into this match riding a wave of confidence.
Barty has faced arguably the tougher opponents; Kenin is yet to play a seeded opponent, whereas Barty has played three. Those include Petra Kvitova in her quarterfinal match, which the Australian won conclusively in straight sets.
Barty and Kenin have played one another on five occasions, with the former leading their head-to-head 4-1. Barty will have the crowd behind her and will be brimming with confidence after her victory over Kvitova.
Furthermore, this is the biggest match of Kenin's life and she might get overwhelmed by the occasion. Barty, on the other hand, is a Grand Slam winner and has the experience of how to deal with these big stages.
Prediction: Barty to win in straight sets.
Simona Halep vs Garbine Muguruza
Halep has yet to drop a set and has been unquestionably the player of the tournament up until this point, as she looks to win a Grand Slam for the third year in a row.
The Romanian has not faced a real challenge thus far and that is a testament to how unbelievably well she has been playing. She is the player to beat right now, and it goes without saying that Muguruza has a tough challenge ahead of her.
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This isn't to say that the Spaniard has no chance; she isn't a two-time Grand Slam champion for nothing. Although Muguruza had a shaky start in her opening rounds, she has been in indomitable form lately and hasn't dropped a set in her last three matches.
Muguruza leads their head-to-head 3-2, with one of these victories coming via retirement. If we discount that, they are level on two victories each.
Halep and Muguruza know how to beat each another, which is a good sign for those wishing to see a quality match. And though their careers have been equally as illustrious, Halep goes into this match as the favorite.
The Romanian is arguably in the form of her life and it looks like it will take a miracle for anyone to beat her. Though Muguruza will be her greatest test so far, Halep should have the upper hand.
Prediction: Halep to win in straight sets.
