In the absence of world No. 1 Serena Williams, the prospects of a Wimbledon title rose for 2004 champion Maria Sharapova and 2012 finalist Agnieszka Radwanska. But neither of them can take anything for granted on Manic Monday.

Maria Sharapova vs. Angelique Kerber

As ecstatic as Alize Cornet was with her victory over Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova was likely equally as happy.  The Russian’s struggles against Williams are common knowledge, as is her ability to make the most of it when someone clears that roadblock for her.  Sharapova has now become the favorite to win the title, but she must be careful not to look too far ahead.  Instead, she needs to take it one match at a time, starting with her upcoming encounter with Angelique Kerber.

Kerber has not often troubled Sharapova in the past.  She has garnered just one win in five meetings against the current Roland Garros champion, but she did push Sharapova to 7-5 in the third set when they met last year in Stuttgart.  Additionally, Kerber may draw confidence from her other results coming into Wimbledon.  She has reached three finals this year, including on the lawns of Eastbourne, as well as the fourth round at both the Australian Open and Roland Garros.

Of course, Sharapova’s year has not been too shabby either.  She has gone on a tear since her title run in Stuttgart, following that up with tournament victories in Madrid and Roland Garros.  Furthermore, she has looked very sharp on the grass in London and has to be in a fantastic place mentally now that Williams, her scheduled quarterfinal opponent and personal kryptonite, has been removed from her path.  It might also be worth noting that in both her title runs in Paris, Sharapova was also slated to play Williams in the quarterfinals, only for the American to lose before getting to that stage.  Even if she does not believe in omens, there might still be some little part of Sharapova that thinks that pattern is destined to hold here at Wimbledon.

Kerber will do her best to disrupt the trend, but a lot needs to go right for her to do so.  It is essential that she have a good serving day and bring her running shoes.  She will need to prolong the rallies and put herself in a position to find those nifty angles she is capable of hitting to keep Sharapova off balance.  Most importantly, however, she cannot afford to wallow in any funks.  She has gotten by with that in her last couple of matches, but Sharapova is the kind of player who will make her pay dearly for it. 

As for Sharapova, she just needs to maintain the level she has shown throughout Week 1.  If she can keep the double faults and unforced errors low and avoid allowing Kerber too many looks at a second serve, she will be the one controlling what happens in the match with her superior firepower.

Sharapova appears likely to extend her record over Kerber.  But this Wimbledon has seen some surprises, and only once in the last seven years has Sharapova advanced beyond the fourth round.  If Kerber can stay close and plant a seed of doubt in Sharapova’s mind, she might be able to knock off another Wimbledon favorite.

Agnieszka Radwanska vs. Ekaterina Makarova

When Wimbledon got underway, there was a lot of chatter about which of the two favorites, Serena Williams or Maria Sharapova, might walk away with the title.  Some attention was paid to Australian Open champion Li Na and French Open runner-up Simona Halep.  Few spared a glance toward the No. 4 seed, Agnieszka Radwanska.  But the Pole has quietly worked her way to the round of 16, where she will hope to continue her journey against Ekaterina Makarova.

Radwanska ought to feel confident about her chances of going deep here.  Already this season, she has reached the semifinals at the Australian Open, the final in Indian Wells, and the semifinals in Madrid.  Granted, her results have dipped recently, including early losses at Roland Garros and Eastbourne, but that should hardly have dampened her spirits upon arriving in London.  Radwanska made the final here in 2012 and lost a heartbreaking semifinal to Sabine Lisicki in 2013, so she has ample reason to believe a similar run could be in the cards for 2014.

Makarova will be doing her best to stop Radawanska’s run, however, and blaze her own path into Week 2.  The Russian, who is making her first appearance in the second week of Wimbledon, has put together a solid 2014 thus far as well, winning the title in Pattaya City, reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open, and making the quarterfinals of Eastbourne.  She also comes into this particular matchup knowing that she is capable of causing the upset. Although she has lost to Radwanska three of the four times that they have met, it was Makarova who won their most recent meeting, which came in the round of 16 at last year’s US Open.

This could shape up to be a very even contest.  The surface does not favor one over the other, since both women love to compete on grass.  Radwanska, with her touch and spins, has a game well-suited to the lawns, while Makarova, a top-10 doubles player, has the requisite skills to get the job done from the baseline and in the forecourt.  Each is also an excellent mover, so there are bound to be many entertaining rallies.  Arguably the biggest factor in this match will be who handles the situation best, which puts the pressure squarely on the shoulders of the Pole.  Of late, she has struggled to capitalize when the bigger hitters exit early, which is why it may help her that Sharapova remains in the event.  Still, she knows she is the highest seed left in her half and must find a way to weather the burden of expectations that comes with it.

It is unfortunate that this match will likely be swept under the radar, because it could be an entertaining contest.  It is also a very important match for Radwanska, who is in danger of getting lost in the shuffle of other players in the ascendancy.  Makarova may not make it easy for her, but she needs to rise to the occasion. Anything short of a semifinal showing now will be a major disappointment for the Pole.