Former World No. 1 and the 2017 champion Serena Williams will start her 2019 season in Melbourne against the German Tatjana Maria, in the first round of the Australian Open. This is the first time that the two players will meet each other on the circuit.
Watch & bet on Serena Williams v Tatjana Maria with bet365 here* on Tuesday, January 15. The match will begin at 1 pm local time (3 am BST).
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Williams’ Quest to Break Another Record
Williams, who has been seeded 16th for the tournament, is now aiming to win her 24th Grand Slam title and equal Margaret Court’s all-time record of winning 24 majors. The World No. 16 had a superb spell in 2018 and in many ways, she proved to be an inspiration for mothers all around the world.
Serena returned to the WTA Tour after her pregnancy although, she started her season on an uneventful note. She didn’t have much luck at the Indian Wells and Miami Masters and had a similar stint at the Roland Garros as well.
It wasn’t until the Wimbledon that she finally found her rhythm. She reached the final there, where she ultimately succumbed to Angelique Kerber. She repeated a similar feat at the US Open as well, where she was the runner-up after losing that controversial final to Naomi Osaka.
Serena has been handed a fairly tricky draw in Melbourne. She is on the course to meet Simona Halep in the fourth round after which, she can very well run into the likes of Karolina Pliskova or Elina Svitolina.
Tatjana’s Uneventful Start
The German has started her 2019 season on a disappointing note. She first participated in the Shenzhen Open where she lost to the eventual champion Aryna Sabalenka. After that, she moved to Sydney where she started as a qualifier and moved to the main draw as a lucky loser. However, she lost her opening match to Priscilla Hon in straight sets.
Most of her previous season was spent on the ITF and WTA 125K Series circuits. She also played in many WTA events in the first half of the year but didn’t have much luck there. Her best run came in Mallorca, where she won the International level tournament after defeating Anastasija Sevastova in the final.
Serena Williams v Tatjana Maria – Who Will Win?
Between the two players, it comes as no surprise to see Serena start this match as the favourite to win. She has won the Australian Open seven times and doesn’t appear to be done with it by a long shot. We can expect the American to win this one in straight sets.
You can watch & bet on Serena Williams v Tatjana Maria with bet365 on Tuesday, January 15.
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