WTA Sony Open Betting: Radwanska to edge closer to title defence

 

The competition is heating up in Miami as we reach the quarter-finals stage, with defending champion Agnieszka Radwanska eyeing a place in the final four. First up though is world number one Serena Williams, as she comes face-to-face with the relentlessly hard working Na Li...

 

It was a busy day of action on Monday but with little in the way of upsets as those expected to advance did so. Four of the top five seeds remain in the tournament, with the injured Victoria Azarenka the only absentee.

 

Williams had looked impervious ahead of her meeting with Dominika Cibulkova in the last round, losing just a handful of games as she breezed through the draw.

 

However, an inspired performance from her Slovakian opponent had her on the brink of defeat, before she displayed the kind of mental fortitude that has set her apart from her rivals to battle back from a set and three games down.

 

Relieved to have passed that test, she faces another difficult day's work on Tuesday, when she faces fifth seed Li. The former French Open winner was also given a scare in the opening stages of her match with wildcard entrant Garbine Muguruza, but came through unscathed and is yet to drop a set in Miami.

 

It's been a remarkable return to the court for Li, who had been inactive since the Australian Open with a troublesome ankle injury. Any doubts she may have had heading into the tournament have now been dismissed as she continues to dominate her opposition.

 

History favours Williams as she leads the head-to-head between the two 6-1. Li's only triumph against the American came back in 2008 in Stuttgart, with Serena winning all five of the other meetings on the hard surface.

 

Li will certainly pose Williams problems despite her poor record in previous meetings, as they have all been close with several heading into tie-breaks. However, after Serena overcame a real scare yesterday she should be more focused and it's difficult to envisage an upset so back Serena to come through at 1.3.

 

Reigning champion Agnieszka Radwanska is also in action, she takes on Kirsten Flipkens. Both these ladies have had grueling three-setters in the last two rounds. Flipkens has impressed so far, the Belgian accounted for Petra Kvitova's early exit and will work Radwanska hard.

 

However, the Polish world number four has continually found a will to win, and despite dropping the first set to Sloane Stephens on Monday, she only lost two games thereafter en route to a comfortable win.

 

These two have only met once before, with Radwanska coming out on top in straight sets in a Fed Cup meeting back in 2010. She is a strong favourite to produce a repeat performance, but expect another struggle before she eventually seals the win.

 

As a result we could see a mouth-watering clash between Williams and Radwanska in the semi-final and the pair will await Wednesday's outcome to see how Maria Sharapova fares in the bottom half of the draw.

 

Recommended Bets:

Back S. Williams to beat Li @ 1.3

Back S. Williams to beat Li 2-1 @ 4.4

Back Radwanska to beat Flipkens @ 1.24

Back Radwanska vs Flipkens Over 19.5 Games @ 1.89

 

Bet HERE

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