Serena Williams creates major hurdle for top seeded Simona Halep

Top seed and world number one Simona Halep faces her toughest opponent yet in Serena Williams at the 2019 Australian Open.

World number one Simona Halep goes up against American tennis icon Serena Williams in one of the most anticipated matches of the Australian Open. What a fourth round matchup it is. Under most circumstances, the top seeded Halep ought to be considered a heavy favorite even at this stage of the Grand Slam. Williams changes all of that.

Throughout their careers, Williams has gotten the best of Halep. The American is 8-2 in singles matches against the Romanian great and that includes one walkover in favor of Halep. The current world number one has to be at her best in the fourth round.

Coming off of a win over Venus Williams in the third round, the top seed appears to have reestablished herself at Melbourne Park. While she has made it through to the fourth round, her first two matches of the 2019 Australian Open went to three sets. She closed out each of those in fine fashion, but had to dig deep in order to do so.

There a so many factors to consider in the upcoming meeting between Halep and Williams. The American has played intermittently on the WTA Tour since becoming a new mother but has still managed to shine at the major tournaments. So far, she is doing just that at the Australian Open. Plus, experience is on her side.

Despite Halep’s lackluster lifetime performance against Williams, the world number one is also in the prime of her career. The biggest question mark for her could be whether or not her body holds up throughout the remainder of her time at Melbourne Park. The world number one had to step away toward the end of the 2018 WTA Tour to recover from ongoing back issues.

Williams has not dropped a single set thus far at the Australian Open. Her second round draw saw her take on the surging Eugenie Bouchard who has rediscovered her game in recent months. Williams dispatched Bouchard with ease though, winning 6-2 6-2. She then defeated teenage challenger Dayana Yastremska 6-2 6-1 in the third round.

Can the top seeded Simona Halep step up her game and knock out Serena Williams? Our prediction; the Romanian great manages to oust Williams in a three set thriller that features at least one tiebreak. Make your pick and stay tuned to see how this historic matchup unfolds at the 2019 Australian Open.