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Arriving at the Australian Open ranked 81st in the world, in only her second tournament since September, and amidst skepticism about her fitness and commitment, who would have predicted that Serena Williams would be preparing for a semifinal showdown Down Under?

Only two victories away from her third Australian Open title, she has by now secured herself at the very least a ranking in the top 30. At most, her remarkable comeback has highlighted her self-professed title of “a dangerous floater,” ominously posing her commitment to reclaim her former status as a serious threat to disrupt the women’s rankings. There can no longer be any doubt about Serena Williams’ desire, but can she will her way through another match?

To arrive to the semifinals, she fiercely willed her way past No. 27 Mara Santangelo, No. 5 Nadia Petrova, No. 11 Jelena Jankovic and the 16th-seeded Shahar Pe’er. Standing before her and her third Australian Open Final match is the young and temperamental Nicole Vaidisova. Vaidisova’s praises, having been sung for some time now, are finally becoming evidenced, with her successive deep appearances in Grand Slam tournaments.

Nicole Vaidisova’s best year to date was 2006, when she made it to the fourth round at the Australian Open, the semifinals at the French Open – where she defeated Amelie Mauresmo and Venus Williams - the fourth round of Wimbledon and the third round of the US Open.

With a semifinal date at this years’ Australian Open, the question begging to be answered is whether this is finally her year to claim a Grand Slam title and live up to her hype.

So what is the answer? How will this match-up shape up?

Prediction:
Vaidisova, her big serve rivaled by none other than her semifinal counterpart, Serena Williams, can be considered, without a doubt, one of the top players in the WTA. With 45 aces already under her belt at the Australian Open, second only to Serena’s 47, the 17-year old can match Serena serve-for-serve, ace-for-ace. Serena will get no favors from the Czech teen.

Moreover, Vaidisova’s all-court game will have Serena on her toes, bringing her fitness to the forefront again, only to finally catch up to her. Vaidisova will not be generous to the former champion, taking advantage of Serena’s lack of form.

Undoubtedly, Serena, true to her spirit, will fight. And what a spectacular match it will be. The true essence of the game of tennis will be on display. But, despite perhaps what will be her best effort at this year’s Australian Open, the lion-hearted Serena will be outmatched tonight.

Pick: Vaidisova in three close and sensational sets!

*** UPDATE: Serena came out on top in this match after two sets (7-6, 6-4), although Vaidisova put up more of a fight than the scores might seem to indicate. Vaidisova held off five match points and came back in the second set from 5-1 before finally losing it 6-4 after Serena regained her confidence. The young Czech showed great promise and, at just 19 years of age, we should be seeing a lot of her in the near future at these Grand Slam events. Serena will play Maria Sharapova in the finals. They have each won twice against the other. Sharapova is the early favorite at -220, while Serena Williams enters the final as a +160 underdog.***

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Nila Amerova is a freelance sports writer and regular contributor to the BetUS.com Locker Room.