Australian Open: In The Land Of No Favorites
Current world #1 Caroline Wozniacki seemed to be primed for her first Major win
the twenty-year-old Dane capped off a banner 2010 by making the finals in Doha. But she suffered a severely one-sided loss to Vera Zvonareva at a Hong Kong exhibition last week and dropped her Sydney opener in straight sets.Meanwhile 2008 champion Maria Sharapova struggled through early rounds in Auckland before falling to the eventual champion ranked #88 at the time! And hometown favorite Sam Stosur, who arrives with her best ever seeding in Melbourne, hasnt yet made the dent she might have been hoping for. Add to that disappointing losses by Venus and Francesca, Vera and Jelena and you have the makings of a very upset-ing draw.
Sure the Belgian duo of Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin remain strong, and if her ab injury doesnt persist, Ana Ivanovic was running a nice streak through Hopman Cup play. But I think recent results suggest some new Grand Slam stars may be ready to emerge Down Under.
Ive gone on record saying this could be Victoria Azarenkas year. The top-ten Belarusian has lost twice in a row to the eventual champion, and shes started both those matches against Serena! with a set lead. She comes into this years Aussie Open with better momentum than in the past, making the semis in Tokyo and taking the title in Moscow, and might just be getting her nerves under control she was down a set to Ekaterina Makarova in the Sydney first round before pulling it together for the win.
Then theres young Petra Kvitova, fresh off the heels of her win in Brisbane. Shes already proven she can hang in the big leagues, having reached the semis at Wimbledon last year. And Andrea Petkovic, who finished second to the Czech last week, has been hovering around seeding territory for months. She might be primed to break into the top tier.
Lets not forget the next-generation of Americans. Bethanie Mattek-Sands, pro now for over ten years, was solid in singles at Hopman Cup, and even better mixed results show she can be aggressive against players content at the baseline. And Vania King, now a two-time Grand Slam doubles titlist, may have developed her game to the point shes ready for an individual break out.
As they say, In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And so it could be that the slightest advantage may determine who hoists the trophy in Melbourne. There will certainly be opportunities for some underdogs to make a name for themselves at the years first Grand Slam.
Whoever takes the initiative could take the crown.
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