Boris Becker: Women’s final promises to be a cracker

Who would have thought, two weeks ago when the Australian Open began, that we would see neither Serena Willams, Maria Sharapova nor defending champion Victoria Azarenka in the final? Not me, certainly. But this year’s tournament has been a rollercoaster, full of upsets and drama, and unpredictable weather!

So, now, here we are, going into the ladies’ summit meet on Saturday with the ever-popular and funny Li Na and the full-of-energy Dominika Cibulkova, who is the first Slovak woman to reach a Grand Slam final. Unexpected contenders, perhaps, but deserving ones. They have played well throughout the tournament, especially the Slovak, who has been on fire, winning all but one of her matches in two sets — her only three-setter coming against Sharapova in the fourth round.

Li did have a little hiccup against Lucie Safarova in the third round, where she faced a match point, but has grown stronger after that. And, by the time the quarter-finals were done with, she was the only Grand Slam winner in the last four, making her the favourite by default. She moved into the final with ease, overpowering her semi-final opponent Eugenie Bouchard in little or no time.

This is Li’s second Australian Open final in a row, and third overall after she lost to Kim Clijsters in 2011 and Azarenka last year, and I feel this is a great chance for her to add to her French Open crown of 2011. And the thing about Li is that when she plays at her best she can be pretty much unstoppable. There were upsets on the men’s side too with Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and David Ferrer all falling earlier than I thought they would.

As for Novak losing, of course I am disappointed, as is he. But he went out after a really tough battle against a relentless Stanislas Wawrinka, who has now made the men’s final. There, the Swiss will meet world number one Rafael Nadal, who got past long-time rival Roger Federer in three sets.

But, back to the ladies, and this is Cibulkova’s first Grand Slam final and nerves on a big stage like this are expected and may even get the better of her. But she has been strong right through the tournament and will be looking to score a fourth straight upset after getting the better of Sharapova, Simona Halep and Agnieszka Radwanska on her way to the final. As for Li, this third time just might be a charm.

And, with a couple of livewires like Li and Cibulkova, I am sure that we will be in for a cracker of a match.

— Gameplan