Full draw analysis for both sides will be posted later. For now let's play speculation and clairavoyence.


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2010 Australian Open Women’s Draw:

 

Q1: Serena’s to lose

 

Serena             

 

Comes off a very sluggish performance in Sydney on a bum knee. We’re not really sure how we feel about her. One thing is for sure: this is a major, so count her out at your peril. 

 

Zvonareva

 

Waterworks has a tricky section with a possible 3rd rounder with Ivanovic. She’s a fighter but not enough game to go deep.    

 

Azarenka

 

Has the tools and the draw to get to the quarters if she wants to. 

 

Sleepers?

 

Ivanovic          

 

Working with a new coach and seems to be in a much happier place. Still has the serve-toss yips when the score is close. 2 qualifiers in her section and a winnable match in the 3^rd round. 

 

Lisicki

 

Plenty of firepower to fuel her through at least a few rounds if she doesn’t have another freak accident on match point. 

 

Stosur

 

Good attacking all court game, good hands up at net and decent draw to go 4 rounds.

 

Semi Pick:       Serena

Q2: Opportunity Abound

 

Wozniacki

 

Should counterpunch her way to the quarters. Potential 3^rd round against another puncher, Peer.

 

Venus  

 

Went to Melbourne early to prepare after ho-hum performance in Hong Kong. Melbourne hasn’t been kind to V in recent years. Has tricky opening round against Safarova (Be on upset watch)

 

Li

 

Can’t complain about her draw. Opportunity knocks.

 

Sleepers?

 

Molik  

 

Back from her sabbatical. Sentimental home crowd favorite, Aussies will be pulling hard for her.

 

Oudin

 

Sophomore slump or rising star? We’ll find out soon enough. Winnable match against potential 3^rd round encounter with Radwanska. How many times will she get asked about her idol Henin in her pressers?

 

Semi Pick:       Wozniacki or total surprise 

Q3: The Battle Ground

 

This Q looks like the kind of main draw tier 1 tournaments would die for

 

Dementieva

 

Just can’t catch a break. Henin owns a 9-2 record and dished out 3 bagel sets. How cruel, how cruel the hand of fate….

 

Henin              

 

All eyes will be on her. Clijsters set the comeback bar pretty high and you can bet Henin is going to try her darndest to match it. Hasn’t worked out all the kinks in her new service motion which makes it susceptible in key moments. Making a run is in the cards, but getting out of this section is a tall task.

 

Clijsters

 

Keeps playing better and better Looking very happy, comfortable and relaxed on the court. She’s found a clarity to her game and it’s giving her plenty of confidence. Another major? It’s in the cards. 

 

Kuznetsova

 

She’s as good as she wants to be on any given day. Headcase syndrome is hard to shake off, even with 2 majors on the resume.

 

Sleepers?

 

Petrova

 

The game is there but old habits die hard.  

 

Dokic  

 

Put in a nice run at last year’s oz. Has the game to give the Aussies something to cheer about.  1^st round baseline blitzer encounter with Kleybonova – lookout.  

 

Wickmayer

 

Comes in with fire in belly after being forced to qualify for the main draw

 

 

Semi Pick: Clijsters

Q4: Look out for Sharapova

 

Jankovic

 

Hasn’t done much lately and don’t think she will here. Not enough game. Look out for the 31^st seed, Alona Bondarenko who is freshoff a tournament win in Hobart. 

 

Sharapova

 

This is her chance to get back into the mix. Has a decent draw. Drew her doppelganger, Kirilenko, in the 1^st round.  Tricky match.

 

Safina              

 

The back has healed and appears to be at full health but where is she mentally? Many feel that her time has come and gone. We have to agree. 

 

Sleepers?

 

Bartoli

 

DIY game packs a punch and should get her to the 4^th round.

 

Semi Pick:       Sharapova 

 

 

2010 Australian Open Men’s Draw

 

Q1: Not a sure lock to the semis for Federer

 

Federer

 

Tricky 1^st round against streaky Andreev and has looked human after winning #15. Seems like a lifetime ago since he hoisted the trophy on Rod Laver in 2007. Just not feeling it.

 

Verdasco

 

Played the tournament of his life 12 months ago in the same place but a repeat performance is not likely.  Look out for JCF in his section.

 

 

Davydenko      

 

The most underrated/underappreciated player on tour is riding a wave of confidence and getting long time fans murmuring about a career changing title run.  But, alas, history is cruel and can’t be discounted. 2 weeks, 7matches, best of 5 sets? – we’re a little risk adverse.

 

Sleepers?

Hewitt             

 

Another major and again stuck in Federer’s quarter but gotta cheer on the Aussie.

 

Ferrero

 

Resurgent Spaniard could make some noise.

 

Gulbis              

 

Top 10 talent but where’s his head?

 

Baghdatis        

 

See Gulbis

 

Semis Pick:     Federer

 

 

 

 

Q2: Opportunity Knocks

 

Djokovic         

 

Found his game late last season after repairing his public image under the tutelage of Todd Martin. He’s won here before and sure can’t complain about his draw.

 

Tsonga            

 

Frenchman can do it all and with quintessential French flair. But like virtually all his other compatriots the question has never been about ability but rather sustainability.

 

Soderling         

 

Game thrives on fast hard courts and the belief is there. Lookout.

 

Sleepers?

 

Haas               

 

Temperamental but has the game to beat anyone on his day. 

 

Tipsarevic        

 

Bespectacled Serb has game. Recall that he almost took out Federer 2 years ago.  

 

Gasquet           

 

Played a great match last year against Gonzo. Tough 1^st round against Youzhny.

 

Semi Pick:       Djokovic

 

 

 

Q3: Looking for this year’s breakout performance

 

Del Potro

 

Like Djokovic, he sure can’t complain about his draw. Fitness will be a question with him and we’re not sure how comfortable he is with the newly minted bull’s eye on his back.  Lookout for Cillic in his section.

 

Cillic

 

Could he be this year’s breakout star? Wait and see. Tricky 1^st round against un-retired Santoro.

 

Roddick

 

Not sure where he stands amongst the contenders. Maybe in the 2^nd tier? Has a tricky path to the quarters but we don’t see him going beyond that. It’s getting crowded at the top.

 

Sleepers?

Berdych

 

Talented headcase you shouldn’t overlook because when he’s on, he’s on. 

Gonzalez

 

Gonzo loves to play in Australia and usually gives the crowd at least one memorable marathon late night 5 setter before he leaves.

 

Semi Pick:       Cillic 

 

 

Q4: Nadal’s to lose

 

Nadal  

           

Defending champ hasn’t played anywhere near his top form for over 6 months but the good news is he appears to be healthy and rested. The draw gods are kind to him and he should make it out to the quarters, at the very least.

 

Murray            

 

Like Roddick, we’re not sure where to put him amongst the contenders. With Nadal not at championship level, he’s got the game to go deep but seems reluctant to take it.

 

Monfils

             

Will get the crowd cheering with his on court acrobatics for a few rounds. Beyond that? Not much else.

 

Sleepers?

Kohlschreiber  

 

Has the ability to zone for a few sets and playing lights out tennis.

 

Karlovic          

 

Always a tall task to beat him (pun intended)

 

Isner                

See Karlovic

 

Semi Pick:       Nadal

Opening day of play and we've got a great lineup.

The ladies:

Sharapova, Clijsters, Henin, Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Safina and Jankovic all in action today.

Matchup of the day: 

Dokic vs. Kleybanova 

Look for a baseline battle between Dokic and Kleybanova. There's a lot of firepower in this matchup. If they can keep the ball in the court, it should make for a good baseline powerstruggle. We'll take Dokic.

China vs. China - Zheng vs. Peng

Upset Watch?

Chakvetdaze vs. Penneta

The guys:

Murray, Nadal, Roddick, Del Potro and Monfils all in action today.

Matchup of the day:

Stepanek vs. Karlovic
Always fun to watch someone try and figure out the Karlovic serve.

Cillic vs. Santoro
Santoro's last slam appearence??

Rochus vs. Gonzalez
Speedy Belgian can be a headache to play on an "off" day.

 

 

Day One Recap:

 

Sharapova comes up short in the “battle of Marias”

 

 This was a tough loss for Sharapova who let her chances slip away. No matter what she says, that serve has become a real liability and today it let her down once again. When she’s not serving well, the rest of her game looks rushed and muddy. Credit Kirilenko who put in the hard yards over the off season and really played better when it counted.

 

Dr. Ivo wins in 5 sets

 

Karlovic extract some revenge on Stepanek out on crt 6. Stepanek will have a hard time forgetting that very makeable backhand pass he missed wide at 4all 30all on the Karlovic Serve.

 

Wickmayer hangs on by the skin of her teeth.

 

What a nutty match, but she came through and that’s what counts. Sets up second round clash with Kuznetsova.

 

Day Two Picks:

 

Federer vs. Andreev – Not an easy opening round for Fed.  Can Kirilenko’s boyfriend feed off the upset bug and pull a real stunner?

 

Safarova vs. Venus – be on upset watch

Day Two Recap:

Federer def Andreev

Andreev had the crowd buzzing with his inspired performance against Federer yesterday afternoon. The forehand was firing from all parts of the court and he really got Federer on his heals during the 1st and 3rd sets. 


Match of the day:

Youzhy def Gasquet 

These two played a really fun match out on Margaret Court Areana. Brilliant baseline exchanges with Gasquet falling just short in the 5th. 


 Day Three Preview:

Match of day: Henin vs. Dementieva 

Marquee match 1st up on Laver for the night session. All things aside, this match should be pretty evenly contested. So who wants it more? We're a little suspect of the realiabilty of Henin's serve but we'll take her in 3 close sets against Dementieva.  

Blake vs. Del Potro

The Del Potro wrist is a little suspect and looked sub par in his 1st round. In contrast, Blake looked great in his match yesterday and he should recognize his chance. This match will be played under the lights on Hiisense. Look for huge forehands all match long. We'll take Del Po to squeeze by in 4 with better serving.

Don't get this mixed up: Wozniaki (Den) vs. Wozniak (CND) - pity the chair umpire who got assigned to this match 

 

Dementieva just can't catch a break: for the 45th time, she leaves a major with no hardware

Last night Henin flashed her brilliant all court game all over Rod Laver to take out Dementieva in 2 tight sets. The match lasted almost 3 hrs with so many games going to deuce. The return games of these two women are phenominal. Evident by the telling stat that they both only won around 40% of 1st serves. Gotta feel sorry for Dementieva. She couldn't figure it out last night and couldn't keep Henin at bay. She couldn't keep her groundstrokes deep enought to keep Henin on her heels. Henin started to cramp late in the 2nd set, we hope that it's nothing serious.

Del Potro escapes:

Del Potro held it together to edge Blake 10-8 on Hisense last night. Blake, to his credit, played brilliant tennis and was up a break twice deep in the 5th set. We hope that Delpo's injury is not too serious.  

Cillic through:

The aussie fans were going nuts on Rod Laver last night as their man posed a spirited challenge against CIllic. Cillic hangs on to win and Tomic goes out a hero.

Day Four Picks:

Baghdatis vs. Ferrer - should be a fun baseline battle between these two. Look for Ferrer to run around every BH to hit his big forehand

Tsonga vs. Dent - contrasting styles are always fun to watch. Serve and Volley lives!

Tipserevic vs. Haas - looks like a 5 setter to me....



 

Day Three Wrap:

Dulko def. Ivanovic

Has anyone seen Ivanovic's confidence? It’s really painful to watch a player with considerable talent play with so little self belief. Her game abandoned her at crucial times during the match.  It’s going to a long plane ride back home to regroup and try again.

 

Haas def. Tipserivic

 

Haas survived a point penalty and spirited challenge from the Serb in this topsy-turvy 5 set encounter. The final set featured 5 consecutive breaks of serve. In the end Haas flashed his brilliant all court game to claim victory.

Baghdatis def. Ferrer

Baghdatis pulled out a great comeback win against Ferrer. We love to see him playing well again and really enjoying it out there.

 

Day Four Matchups:

 

Nadal vs. Kohlschrieber

 

This is a dangerous encounter as Kohlschrieber has the ability to zone and really play some brilliant tennis. But can he sustain it for a best of 5 sets match? We think not. Nadal in 4.

 

Clijsters vs. Petrova

 

Petrova’s no slouch but against the likes of Clijsters we can’t really see her pulling an upset. Clijsters in 2

 

Karlovic vs. Ljubicic

 

How many tie breaks will they play? We’ll take Ivan to figure out the serve in 5 sets.

 

Monfils vs. Isner

 

Monfils has brilliant retrieving skills but how will he fair against the monster serve of Isner. We think we can get his racket on enough to pull out the win. Monfils in 5

 

Day Four Wrap:

Great day for big serves as Isner and Karlovic out duled their opponents.

Where in the world was Clijsters?
Everyone was stunned to silence as Clijsters put in a non performance in last night's marque match on Hisense. Props to Petrova who at least showed up to play.

Henin survived but Jankovic and Bartoli weren't so lucky. Bartoli pulled a Clijsters and didn't show up to play the 3rd set against Jie losing it 6-0. 

Did anyone see the wicked forehand Nadal hit to win the 2nd set?
check it out: http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4848438
Looks like Rafa is back to old self. Thank God.


Day Five:

Matchups of the day:

Hewitt vs. Baghdatis - last time these two played at the OZ the match didn't end til 4am. They are 1st match on the in the evening session so if we were Wozniaki & Peer, we'll go catch some shut eye and bunker in for a long night.
Baghdatis on 5!

Tsonga vs. Haas - another great match up. Haas flashed his brilliant all court game in his last round and he'll be looking to attack Tsong right from the get go. Tsonga has more fire power and if he's on he should take this in 4 sets.