One of the seeds in action during day 1 is Sara Errani of Italy who will face the talented Margarita Gasparyan of Russia in a block-buster first round match at the 2016 Australian Open. The world number 19 has a really tough task in her first round against the Russian rising star who is bound to have a great year in 2016.
Their road to Melbourne.
Both players had a packed Australian swing playing two consecutive weeks of tennis before the Australian Open. Gasparyan entered the Brisbane qualifying winning her first 2 matches but eventually failing to qualify in the main draw. However, she got lucky and shortly after Maria Sharapova's withdrawal, she entered the draw to face Ekaterina Makarova as a lucky loser. After a competitive match where she pushed her compatriot in 3 sets, Gasparyan came up just short. It was still a really good appearance from the youngster though, who played an amazing second set. She next moved on to Hobart where she made the second round after beating Maddison Inglis and losing in a tough match against eventual semifinalist Johanna Larsson. Her road may not seem incredible but she played some good tennis especially against Makarova.
From the other side, Errani entered Brisbane but lost easily in the first round to a fired-up Belinda Bencic. Her next tournament was Sydney where she made the quarterfinals after beating Carla Suarez Navarro and Jelena Jankovic, before losing to eventual champion Svetlana Kuznetsova. She played exceptionally well in that match against Jankovic, hitting some remarkable shots, and showing her immense fighting spirit to come back from 5-1 in the second set, saving eight set points along the way. So, both players are heading to Melbourne with not the best results but with some really good matches on their feet.
Analysis.
This is a really interesting match-up and it can offer us some great rallies and points. Gasparyan is definitely the more aggressive of the two but still does not have a really powerful shot to completely blow Errani off the court. But if the Italian is given time, her forehands can be really clever placed while her tendency to make big backhand rallies will definitely not favor the Russian who will find it difficult to keep up with her one-handed backhand. However, the court in Melbourne is quick and Margarita will feel better on it. It will certainly help her try some more net approaches to shorten the points,as her physicallity is not a factor of the game that she is renowned for. Also, the Russian's return will be really important. Her return statistics were not the best so far in 2016 but she has a powerful one that for sure can really trouble the world number 19. Moreover, Margarita has improved her serve a lot and she will play without much pressure in her shoulders. Overall, the key will be timing. If Gasparyan gives Errani times, she will put herself in a lot of trouble as the former world number 5 will keep returning her shots to create big rallies. On the contrary, the Russian's game is tough to deal when you are facing her for first time and the quick courts of Melbourne, which can explain a lot about yours truly's final pick.
Prediction: Margarita Gasparyan d. Sara Errani in 3 sets