One of the most surprising quarter-finals in Grand Slam history is very interesting as the unseeded Johanna Konta faces qualifier Zhang Shuai, who looks to continue her inspiring run at the Australian Open despite never having won a major match before this tournament. This match is scheduled to take place on the Rod Laver Arena at around 13:00 Melbourne Time (02:00 UK Time) and the winner will face 7th seed Angelique Kerber or 14th seed Victoria Azarenka in the semi-final; see my prediction for that match here.
It has been a similar road for both women to get to this stage. Konta started by upsetting 8th seed Venus Williams in straight sets and also eased past Zheng Saisai and Denisa Allertova, though then had to come from a set down to battle past 21st seed Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets in a thrilling clash. Zhang started by causing the upset of the year so far by knocking out 2nd seed Simona Halep in straight sets and beat Alize Cornet and Vavara Lepchenko in similar fashion, though came from a set down to beat (a visibly injured) 15th seed Madison Keys in the fourth round. Considering the wins they have had, both will be extremely confident.
Both Konta and Zhang are powerful and it should be interesting to see who is able to dictate most the rallies, though there is arguably more room for error in Shuai’s game. The Chinese star must serve well against Konta (a decent returner) and her overall game must be solid, though her biggest obstacle may be the pressure; with a growing profile and greater expectations around the world and especially in China, will she be able to cope with the pressure? Konta will need to continue serving well like she has most the tournament and will need a solid game overall but there is also pressure on her; this is a massive opportunity for her and she is arguably the favourite- can she cope?
The two have played twice before with the head to head split at 1-1 (Shuai won their last meeting in straight sets, on the way to her sole title in Guangzhou) but it is over two years since they met and considering the confidence they both have, this could be a different clash. Both women have clearly been playing well though Konta has the slightly stronger game and arguably less pressure; because of that, I think she’ll edge this.
Prediction: Konta in 3
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