After a first round filled with upsets, a third of the women’s seeds at the Australian Open are heading home sooner than they would have preferred. Two top-10 women hope to avoid the same fate when they enter Rod Laver Arena for second-round action.

Simona Halep versus Jarmila Gajdosova

One seed who managed to survive the carnage was Simona Halep.  The Romanian will need be sharp against her next opponent, Jarmila Gajdosova, if she hopes to continue living up to her top billing. 

On paper, no one would dispute that Halep is the heavy favorite in this contest.  It was at this tournament last season where she broke through to her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam, which served as a springboard to even greater achievements, such as her finalist appearance at Roland Garros and semifinal showing at Wimbledon.  She entered this year’s Australian Open ranked No. 3 and picked up the title in Shenzhen before arriving in Melbourne.  She ought to be brimming with confidence.

Gajdosova is not nearly as decorated as her higher-ranked opponent, but she must feel positive going into this match.  The adopted Australian was ranked No. 25 four years ago, but injuries and personal issues sidelined her for portions of 2012 and 2013.  As a result, she saw her ranking slide, but Gajdosova has steadily been working her way back towards the top.  She earned some solid wins in Brisbane and Sydney earlier this year, and perhaps most importantly for her, after multiple attempts, she finally managed to escape the first round of her home major.  With that monkey off of her back, she ought to come out swinging freely against the No. 3 seed.

Swinging freely is what could make Gajdosova a potentially tricky opponent for Halep.  The Australian already possesses more power from the baseline, and she is not afraid to unleash it.  She feels particularly confident off the return of serve and the backhand wing.  It is imperative that she look to utilize those weapons as frequently as possible.  Her return of serve could be especially crucial, since she needs to be the one controlling the bulk of the rallies to have a chance. 

For Halep, this match primarily comes down to two things.  First, she has to move the ball around the court, which is something she is adept at doing.  Gajdosova is not the greatest mover, and keeping her off balance is a great way to negate some of the Australian’s firepower.  Secondly, Halep needs to remain in control of her emotions.  The Romanian got a bit feisty when she hit some hiccups in her opening match.  She can ill afford to do that against a home favorite, since that will only invite the crowd to get more involved and under Halep’s skin. 

Assuming Halep remains on an even keel and plays her game, she should come through with a routine victory.  Gajdosova is going to have to be at the top of her form and hope that the upset trend of a few days ago continues.  Such a scenario could unfold, but expect Halep to get through in straight sets.

Ekaterina Makarova versus Roberta Vinci

It is not every match that can boast a duel that features contrasting styles.  And yet that is exactly the kind of match that fans may be treated to when Ekaterina Makarova faces off against Roberta Vinci for a spot in the third round of the Australian Open.

Presently ranked No. 11, Makarova has to be the favorite amongst the odds-makers.  The Russian is an aggressive baseliner who is most at home on hard courts and grass.  Her last appearance in a major was an impressive semifinal finish at last year’s US Open, and her most consistently successful major has been right here in Australia.  She has two quarterfinal appearances here to her credit, and she has managed to reach the second week of this tournament in each of the last four years.  Suffice it to say she is comfortable playing Down Under.

Vinci does not play her most confident tennis in Melbourne, but she should not be underestimated. Better known as half of the currently top-ranked doubles team with partner Sara Errani, Vinci is no slouch in singles.  Two years ago, she nearly cracked the top 10, and although she has never reached Week 2 in Melbourne in singles play, she has been to the fourth round or better of the other three majors.  In addition to that, her exemplary doubles skills could come in handy in this contest, since if she is able to move forward, she could rush Makarova into making errors.

In addition to her own skills, Vinci can draw confidence from her head-to-head against the Russian.  The two are locked at two wins each, and while it was Makarova who won two of their three encounters last season, it was Vinci who nabbed the victory in their last meeting.  Vinci also had a slightly better run-up to Melbourne with her quarterfinal finish in Hobart.  All of that said, Makarova does possess the more penetrating groundstrokes, and she is capable of taking Vinci’s strength away by getting to the net herself.  Furthermore, the venue alone should have her feeling more optimistic than usual of walking away with a third win over the veteran Italian.

No matter how much confidence Makarova may be feeling, however, she will still need to put in the hard yards.  Vinci is a fighter, and with her record against the higher-ranked Russian, she knows a trip to the third round is well within the realm of possibility.  This has all of the makings of a topsy-turvy encounter that should feature some all-court tennis.  It is a tight one to call, but the tip of the hat has to go to Makarova.