Davis Cup World Group Squads Announced

The squads for the opening rounds of the 2013 Davis Cup have been announced and the Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic has made himself available. After the first Grand Slam of the year it will be interesting to see if players can reproduce their good form again or, in some cases, can they rediscover form as they represent their countries. Defending champions Czech Republic have an away tie in Switzerland and must do without the fifth rubber hero from the final, Radek Stepanek, who withdrew today. Spain are without David Ferrer, Rafa Nadal and Fernando Verdasco which leaves them vulnerable against Canada. So let's go through the fixtures and squads.

          As I said Spain are left short this week but they do have the in form Nicolas Almagro in their squad. They also have Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez available for doubles duty. Albert Ramos is the fourth player but don't be surprised to see Granollers on singles and doubles duty. They face a tricky Canadian side with Milos Raonic the big danger. Vasek Pospisil will be the second singles player and the North American outfit will be hoping he can pick up at least one win as they attempt to pull off the upset. Their doubles side is likely to be Frank Dancevic and the experienced Daniel Nestor. Canada have home advantage and have opted to play on an indoor hard court which gives them a great chance to get a result.

          Italy have taken full advantage of the home venue rule as they bring the big hitting Croatian side to an indoor clay arena in Turin. Andreas Seppi and Fabio Fognini are likely to be the singles players with Paolo Lorenzi and Simone Bolelli playing doubles. The Croatian side is headed by Marin Cilic who will be looking for revenge on Seppi after his Aussie Open defeat and he is joined by Ivan Dodig. Antonio Veic and Mate Pavic will be the doubles outfit. The Croatians may be the slight favourites but the surface may edge it towards Italy. 

          Another country hoping to use their home advantage is Belgium as they bring tournament favourites, Serbia, to an indoor clay arena. The Belgians have a strong side head by David Goffin. He is backed up by the unpredictable Steve Darcis and their doubles line up is likely to be Ruben Bemelmans and Olivier Rochus. The surface is clearly an attempt to make the Serbians uncomfortable but the bad news for Belgium is that Serbia have got Novak Djokovic available to them. He is joined by Janko Tipsarevic as Serbia boast possibly the best singles combination in the world right now. Viktor Troicki and Nenad Zimonjic will play the doubles tie. 

          With home advantage the USA are one of the toughest teams to beat. John Isner and Sam Querrey will be their singles team and on the indoor hard courts of Jacksonville they are likely to be competitive against any outfit. They will face a Brazilian singles side of Thomaz Bellucci and Thiago Alves. The doubles encounter is always in the USA's favour no matter who they play as the Brian Brothers, Bob and Mike, take part. Their opposition is going to be Marcelo Melo and Bruno Soares but the Americans will be heavily fancied in their own back yard.

          Rouen, in the North of France, is the venue for the meeting between France and Israel. The indoor hard courts are likely to be advantageous to the singles duo of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Richard Gasquet. Two in for players are going to be tough to beat and the men charged with that task are Dudi Sela and Amir Weintraub. Michael Llodra and Julien Benneteau are the French doubles duo and they will face a strong Israeli side in Andy Ram and Jonathan Elrich.

          Argentina must do without Juan Martin Del Potro for their clash with Germany but still have a strong line up to call upon. On the outdoor clay they will fancy clay court specialist Juan Monaco to get the job done and I would imagine David Nalbandian will be their other singles player. He has played doubles more often for Argentina in the last few years but Horacio Zeballos and Carlos Berlocq have played a lot of doubles in the last year so logically I think they will be the doubles side. Germany have got Philipp Kohlschreiber and Florian Mayer playing singles and a nice doubles pairing of Tobias Kamke and Christopher Kas. 

          Kazakhstan have brought Austria to another indoor clay arena and will call upon Mikhail Kukushkin to lead their side. He is joined by Andrey Golubev and the doubles pairing of Evgeny Korolev and Yuri Schukin. They face a tricky match with Austria led by the experienced Jurgen Melzer. Their other singles player is likely to be Andreas Haider Maurer. Alexander Peya and Julien Knowle are the other two men but don't be surprised to see Knowle overlooked.

          The final match up is the fascinating encounter between Switzerland and Czech Republic. The Swiss side are led by Stanislas Wawrinka who had a thrilling match with Djokovic in Melbourne last week so he will be watched by everyone this week to see if it was fluke. Marco Chiudinelli will be the other singles player and the doubles pairing is Michael Lammer and Henri Laakson. The indoor hard courts was an interesting choice considering the Czechs have chosen Tomas Berdych who could prosper on the hard courts. Ivo Minar replaces Radek Stepanek as their singles pairing and that leaves the doubles pairing unknown. They usually go Berdych/Stepanek but they could now opt for Lukas Rosol and Jiri Vesely. 

WTA Open de Suez & Pattaya

This week there are two tournaments to look forward to as the women's tour gets back to normality after the Australian Open. Players will either be looking to carry on their good form from Melbourne or trying to get back into their rhythm after a disappointing spell down under. There are a number of the best players in the world playing this week which makes for two very interesting tournaments.
          Starting with the event in Paris this week, the Open de Suez. Last year, Angelique Kerber won her first tour event at this tournament but she isn't playing this week so we will have a new champion. The top seed this week is Sara Errani, who left the Australian Open singles in the early rounds, and she will see this as a great chance to get back into form. If she's on top form I can see her going all the way but there are a number of potentially tricky ties for her along the way, most notably a clash with Dominika Cibulkova. She should be full of confidence after winning the Australian Open doubles with Roberta Vinci who is also competing here.
         Unseeded Mona Barthel is well worth watching this week after a strong start to the year. She faces Vinci in round two but I could see her winning that and reaching the latter stages. Marion Bartoli was the beaten finalist last year and she should have a strong week here despite a tricky draw. Julia Goerges is a dangerous player too. She has plenty of talent and will fancy herself against most people in the draw this week. Second seed Petra Kvitova has had a nightmare start to the season but she will eventually find her form, whether it's this week or not is like predicting the weather. A possible sleeper in the draw is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The young Russian disappointed in Melbourne but has started the year well and I expect her to be a big name this season. Similarly I see Tsvetana Pironkova as a danger this week if she's on form. She reminds me a lot of Richard Gasquet. She has the talent but whether she can now put in the hard work to become consistent is the challenge. This week is tough to call with such talent taking part. Petra Kvitova is the 10/3 favourite but I can't confidently back someone in such poor form. Cibulkova is at 6/1 and Errani at 13/2 but I'm going with Marion Bartoli at 7/2 this week.
           In Pattaya this week we have another top class draw with Ana Ivanovic leading the field as top seed. I think she's improving steadily and will eventually rejoin the winners circuit on a consistent basis. This week is a chance for her to get some good form going. Second seed this week is Maria Kirilenko and she is a player I like. She had a good run in Melbourne but she was simply overpowered by Serena. She has the game to compete here this week and be a serious contender. Defending champion Daniela Hantuchova is back to defend her title and she has fond memories here with two titles to her name. Sabine Lisicki had a nightmare third set against Wozniacki in Melbourne and she will be looking to put that behind her here with a good run. Elena Vesnina has been incredible so far this season and so this week she might be looking at a run to the championship. There is a lot of quality on show this week and Ivanovic is your 7/2 favourite. Lisicki is almost 6/1 which could represent good value, as does Hantuchova at 10/1. I'm torn between two Russian ladies this week. I like Kirilenko at 4/1 but my pick this week is Vesnina at 11/2. 

Djokovic- Master of Melbourne...Again

It may not have lived up to the standards of the 2012 final but the result was the same as Novak Djokovic became the first man in the open era to win three Australian Open in succession. He overcame the challenge of Andy Murray for the third year in a row on a scoreline of 6-7 7-6 6-3 6-2. In a match lasting three hours and forty minutes the Serb showed why he is the best player in the world as he swept aside his opponent. Djokovic started the brighter and had five break points but failed to convert and it was Murray who forced a tie break and took the first set. Murray started the second set in aggressive form and forced a 0-40 situation on the Djokovic serve but Djokovic came up with the goods to hold serve and from then on he was always in control. Apart from a spell between the end of the first set and beginning of the second where Murray won 18 out of 20 points it was Djokovic who was the more aggressive player and he showed exactly why he is the king of the tennis game right now.
          Throughout the match Murray could only force break point opportunities in two of Djokovic's service games and Djokovic constantly had the answers and wasn't broken throughout the game. The final two sets were similar to the first with both players holding serve but when Djokovic broke through at 3-3 he never looked back. It was exhibition tennis from the world number one in the fourth set as he hit winner after winner to break Murray twice more to win the title. Looking ahead to the coming months and with the return of Rafa Nadal next week we can look forward to the continuation of their fascinating rivalry as the two  best players in tennis look set to collide again. For Djokovic this win was crucial as he tried to prove he is still the main man. With little or no wind on the court it was left to the tennis ability and he showed he reigns supreme over Murray. Murray may well have his chance again but for now Djokovic is very much the best player in men's tennis.

Novak Djokovic vs. Andy Murray

It's been two incredible weeks of tennis. We've had two weeks of no stop tennis. No rain and no backlog of games. The first Grand Slam of the year has set the bar high for the remainder of the majors after two thrilling weeks. Today we had Victoria Azarenka and Li Na contest the women's final and nobody who sat down to watch the game will have been disappointed. It was such an entertaining game with high quality tennis throughout. So after the ladies put on a show it's now down to the men to close out the tournament in style tomorrow.
          Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have played some thrilling matches in the past and now, for the second consecutive major event, they meet on the biggest stage. Novak is the two time defending champion and has been in sensational form this fortnight. Andy Murray is confident in his game after winning his maiden Grand Slam at the US Open, where he beat Djokovic in the final. That win is the reason the bookmakers and most pundits believe this game is up for grabs and will be close. The conditions that day were a huge factor because the winds were extremely high and the one thing Djokovic struggles with is wind. Wind makes it difficult to keep playing pure tennis and Andy has always liked playing in tough conditions because he is a defensive player. Players who use a lot of slice and play with plenty of margin for error will always prosper in the wind. On Rod Laver Arena, the wind is not an issue because the stadium is so compact so the winner tomorrow will have to earn the win with their shot making.
         This is the reason that Novak is the clear favourite for me. He is a far superior shot maker and in big matches between these two that is the reason that the Serb has prevailed more often than not. Murray is improving his game and can compete with the big three on a more consistent basis now but there are still too many weaknesses in both his game and mentality for him to be considered on the same level as Djokovic, Federer or Nadal. He has become a more aggressive player in the past six months but we are still seeing times when he reverts back to his passive game and the sooner he overcomes that the sooner he can realise his full potential. A win tomorrow over Novak will go a long way to making him a permanent figure in major finals.
          So what does Andy need to do to overcome the Serb? The first thing he has to do is be aggressive. If he tries to play passive and wait for Novak to make errors then this game will be over very quick. He has to play from the baseline and go for his shots and dictate the rallies. His forehand has to be a weapon tomorrow. When the game got close in the second and fourth set against Federer his forehand was a liability. If his forehand is anything but perfect tomorrow he won't survive. The next thing is his mentality. He can take confidence from beating Federer but he has to keep his feet on the ground. Let's be realistic, Federer was below par and rumours from Melbourne suggest he was suffering from a back problem since his match with Tsonga. Take nothing away from Murray he was clinical and played the best he ever has against Roger but he has to look at it as a small step towards breaking the stranglehold the top three have on the game.
          His attitude was poor at times on Friday, that has to change. He became passive way too often when the game was close and that's not the way to beat Djokovic. He's got to take the big points in his stride and dictate the outcome himself. Put the game on your racquet. If you miss the shot or your opponent comes up with a great winner then you put your hands up and say too good, but you have to be in control of the point. That's what Nadal, Federer and Djokovic do and that's why they are the best. Murray has a great chance to join them tomorrow.
         The biggest problem for Murray tomorrow will be his serve. His serve was a major factor on Friday but when times got tough his second serve became a liability. There was too much spin and not enough pace or placement. When he serves well he is tough to beat but we have yet to see Murray come up with the goods on serve in a big game. If he can get a high percentage of first serves tomorrow I think he has a great chance. When looking at the stats look at the unforced errors and winners columns. If Murray has a high number of both then he will be close. That will indicate an aggressive style. For Murray to win he needs to serve i high percentage, stay aggressive and have the right mentality.
          For Djokovic, he needs to stay playing the way he has been. Stanislas Wawrinka played absolutely sensational tennis last Sunday but Djokovic stood firm and came through it. Tomas Berdych was a potential threat but Djokovic brushed him aside in style. David Ferrer is a world class player and was playing some of the best tennis of his career but Novak was simply breathtaking in that semi final. He simply blew his opponent away and the scary part was that Ferrer played so well. Anybody else would have lost after an hour with the way Djokovic was hitting but Ferrer asked him questions time after time but he always had the answers. His ground strokes have been a major weapon this fortnight. He's play is reminiscent of the form he had in 2011.
            He is serving well too. He never even gave Wawrinka a chance to break him in the fifth set. He is so mentally strong and always remains the aggressor which makes playing him a nightmare. He is so relaxed around the place the last few days that everything seems second nature to him. He arrived for his press conference today with a koala clipped to his jacket and cracked jokes about he and Murray's childhood. His big statement from that press conference was that he is ready. He is over the loss of the US Open final but he remembers the pain of losing a major final and he doesn't want to go through that again.
          So who will win the first major of the year? This match is massive for a number of reasons. It's the final Grand Slam where we don't have Rafa and his return will make it more difficult to win majors. For Djokovic he knows the the entire tour will be more intense with Rafa back and he will want to send the Spaniard a message with a convincing win here. For Murray he knows how good those two were last year and in 2011 and he will want to win this slam to give him the confidence to challenge those two. The clear conditions make this match all about the tennis and for that reason the logical choice is Novak Djokovic. He is by far the best player in the world right now and should win another major tomorrow to join Andre Agassi on four Australian Open titles.
          He simply has too much tennis for the Scot and their last two meetings show he has the mental edge over Murray. In their last two meetings Murray won the first set before Djokovic showed his class to win through. He even saved five match points in Shanghai which for me was the turning point in his game. He has been unstoppable since then and I'm tipping him to show his class tomorrow and win this one in four sets.

Australian Open Women's Final

It's been great, it's been entertaining and tomorrow it will have been over. The first women's Grand Slam event of the year is almost over with just one more match to go, the final. It wasn't the final many expected with the vast majority of people expecting Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova to be contesting the final. Although that would have been an exciting match, we now have a fascinating encounter between the defending champion Victoria Azarenka and the in form Chinese woman, Li Na.
          Li Na has been a revelation this year so far after bringing Carlos Rodriguez to her team a few months back. The former coach of Justine Henin has worked wonders for Li, who was suffering from a lack of motivation last year. The big improvement from her has been her serve. She's now consistently making first serves and her second serve is now so much better than previous years. She beat two in form players in Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova and now has Vika in her sights. She made the final here in 2011 so it won't be a new experience for her so she won't have those first time nerves. She's won the French Open before too so she knows what it takes to win it and she knows time is running out for her to add to her major collection.
            Vika's preparation for the final has been interrupted by the bad press she is receiving for her medical time out against Sloane Stephens. At 5-4 up in the second set, just after wasting match points and losing her serve, she took ten minutes off the court and when she returned she broke Stephens to win the match. The fans and the experts have slaughtered her for it but, for me, she's receiving unwarranted criticism. In her on court interview she made things worse for herself when she misunderstood a question and came across as saying she took the time off because she was nervous but she thought she was being asked about her closing out the game, not her health. Reports suggests she was asked by the doctors to leave the court for treatment and it was not the idea of Azarenka to leave the court. She has admitted that the timing was poor but she didn't think she could wait any longer. It isn't Azarenka who deserves criticism but the rules which allowed it happen.
           So will that have an effect on Vika in the final? I think it will but in a positive way. She knows going on the court that the crowd will turn on her in a flash if she shows negative emotions on the court. She will focus completely on her tennis tomorrow and try to defend her title and in the process remain the world number one. To do so, she will have to serve well and keep Li Na away from the baseline. I would expect she will want to extend the rallies and try to dictate. She is fitter and has got youth on her side so the longer it goes on she will feel more and more confident of winning.
          Li might be stronger mentally since Rodriguez took over but you've got to feel that when it gets tough she could struggle. She struggled to close out matches last year and that could be a problem tomorrow despite the influence of her new coach. Any solution Rodriguez has come up with must be only temporary, otherwise he would be employed as a psychologist. When she is really tested, and I expect she will be by Vika tomorrow, it will be fascinating to see how she copes. It's a close one to call and I've spent quite some time mulling over the outcome of this one.
           Before this tournament started I went for Azarenka to win it and I have a rule of never changing my mind mid-tournament so I am going for Vika. I think Li has got a great chance to really assert herself in the women's game in the coming months. If she wins here she will be full of confidence heading into the American hard court season and the clay court season. Even if she loses her game is going to go from strength to strength in the coming months with the influence of Carlos Rodriguez. This one could go to three sets but I fancy Azarenka to get the job done.  

Roger Federer vs Andy Murray

The Australian Open is almost at a conclusion with only three days left. Today saw the two women's semi finals take place before Novak Djokovic and David Ferrer battled it out for the first spot in the final. Victoria Azarenka overcame Sloane Stephens to reach her second successive final here while Li Na demolished Maria Sharapova to prevent a repeat of last years final. Then Ferrer entered the Rod Laver Arena hoping to reach his first Grand Slam final and the strange part is he won't be too disappointed with his performance, he played quite well, but Novak was simply awesome. Djokovic sent a clear message to both Andy and Roger that it will take a monumental effort to beat him. So who will be the one to meet the Serb in the final.

          Andy Murray is the favourite to reach the final and many feel the favourite for the title. Much has been made of his form so far throughout the fortnight and it's hard to argue with his results. Murray might have come through unscathed without dropping a set but being realistic he didn't face any real competition. Robin Haase? Joao Sousa? Ricardas Berankis? They aren't exactly household names. Gilles Simon was injured and suffering from fatigue after three long matches and so he didn't provide much resistance, while Jeremy Chardy will be the easiest opponent Murray will ever face in a Grand Slam quarter final. The positive side? He made short work of all of those players. He could have got caught going into fourth or fifth sets but he maintained his level throughout and remained focused to avoid unnecessary longevity in his matches. Against Simon he looked average against a man that could barely walk, let alone run but he was very impressive against Chardy. The French man could have been dangerous but Murray didn't give him time and never allowed him find rhythm on his forehand. So he is finding some good form heading into this meeting but he is going to face a completely different challenge tomorrow.

          Roger Federer is a man on a mission. He has been ruled out by so many and all the talk of Djokovic and Murray being the two best will have hurt him but it could have been the best thing for Roger too. There is nothing more dangerous than a man like Roger Federer being told he won't win something. Look at the history. They said he won't ever win the French Open, he went on and won it. He won't win another Grand Slam or reach number one again, he cruised past Murray and Djokovic to win Wimbledon last year and reach number one again. He is still an incredible player and aside from Nadal he has got the measure of every player at every Grand Slam. He's got wins over Djokovic in the past year or two and has never lost to Murray in a Grand Slam event. Federer has been written off so much in this event that there is no pressure on him. The pressure is very much on the Scot.

          Roger had the toughest draw and I think he got through it even easier than Murray got through his easy draw. Benoit Paire was a tough opening round draw and he won it easy. Nikolay Davydenko was the form man coming in here and he never had a chance. Bernard Tomic was all mouth before his clash with Roger and he was taught a lesson. Milos Raonic was more graceful in his approach to Federer,showing him complete respect, but Federer showed him no mercy as he crushed the rising Canadian. The quarter final was even more impressive. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (who finally competed with a top player again) was playing incredible tennis and he had chances but once it got to a fifth set Federer moved up a gear and he was sublime in that deciding set. Roger is playing some sensational tennis right now and with the speed of the courts he will fancy his chances over the weekend. 

              Their last meeting was in London at the World Tour Finals where after a slow start Federer gave Murray a tennis masterclass. Murray is looking more aggressive since last year but it's easy be aggressive against lesser opponents and when your winning. What happens when he faces a top opponent who puts him under pressure? Well let's look at last year when on a number of occasions he went back to his passive game. At the French Open David Ferrer broke him down and forced him back on the defensive. Federer done it at Wimbledon. Raonic done it in Tokyo. Janowicz done it in Paris and Djokovic and Federer done it again in the World Finals. The reason they were able to force him on the defensive is because Murray hasn't solved his second serve problems. His second serve is shocking for a player of his ability. When players be aggressive and attack his second serve then he has to take pace off his first and suddenly you've got a chance in all of his service games.

         So what can Murray do to counter this? For me he has to place his first serves better and stop trying to hit the 130mph serve every time. If he places his first serve better then he won't be under as much pressure and can try to impose himself on the game. In the rallies I think Murray has to play on the baseline or he has no chance. If you allow Roger stand on the baseline you will not win, he has too many shots and too many angles. I expect Federer to use a wide range of shots from the beginning tomorrow. He will toy with Murray's mind and show him a different look on all his returns. The key to this match up will be the serve and if Federer serves like he has done so far then there is only one winner. His placement and variety has been incredible. Tsonga only won so many games because he guessed right and took a swing. Murray doesn't have the aggression to do that and he knows if he finds himself guessing too much against Federer he won't win.

         Don't be surprised to see Murray serve and volley a lot tomorrow to earn some cheap points on serve and I see him coming in off some returns to throw Federer off. I think this game is on the racquet of Federer. He knows how to beat Murray over five sets and he has all the weapons in his arsenal to hurt Murray. If Federer wins tomorrow there will be a number of pundits eating their words with so many of them having banked on a Murray-Djokovic final and Roger being pushed to the side. If Roger wins this event then I think it will be the greatest Grand Slam win of his career. Roger won't be too confident of winning more majors when Nadal comes back and so I don't see him passing up a chance to beat Murray and giving himself a shot at another major title. I'm giving the edge to Federer in four sets.   

David Ferrer vs Novak Djokovic

Where to begin with this one. Two gladiators of the game. By far the two best movers on the tennis court right now and we have two men who will go deep into a fifth set with the same intensity and the same hunger. These men never know when they are beaten and it's that mentality that wins them so many matches. How many times did Nicolas Almagro look like beating Ferrer last night? And how many other players on the tour could withstand the punishment Stan Wawrinka was dishing out on Sunday?
          These two have played 36 sets and 28 out of them were decided either in a tie break or by one break of serve. That shows just how close these two are on the court. The difference is Djokovic's shot making. He has more to offer than Ferrer in ability and that's the difference on the big points. This match will be filled with long and entertaining rallies and the crowd will certainly get their money's worth. Their head to head record isn't as one sided as you might think either with Novak leading nine wins to five. They met here last year in the quarter finals and Djokovic came through two tough sets before winning the third with ease. Ferrer does have a hard court win over Novak to his name. At the 2011 World Finals (just before Djokovic took over the game) he beat him 6-3 6-1 just days after giving Andy Murray a similar beating. So Ferrer is capable of playing the sort of tennis that can trouble Djokovic.
         For Novak, he knows he is going to be in a real battle in this game but he also knows he is the better tennis player. He won't outlast Ferrer in this game but he can outplay him. The sets will be tight and it will come down to who can hold their own serve more consistently and who can take their opportunities. Djokovic was sensational against Wawrinka. Everyone will talk about Stan's performance and he deserves the plaudits but Djokovic played incredible to win that one. He didn't give Wawrinka half a chance of breaking him in the deciding set and it's that resolve that makes him the favourite for the title. He will have to hit through David tonight and come in from the baseline if he's to avoid this going deep into the night and tactically he's good enough and intelligent enough on the court to pick his moments.
        For David, he will need to play his best ever tennis if he's to get through this. He can rally all day with Novak band find some success but the answer for me is to come in.  He's got to be the aggressor or he will be beaten. Berdych was outplayed from the baseline in the first set against Novak and then approached the net consistently in the second set and found joy before going back to the baseline in the third. It made no sense tactically. Ferrer will be more clued in to what's happening and what's working for him. I'd give him a chance of taking at least one set if he plays aggressively but you've got to think Djokovic will be the one to advance.
         Strangely I do think that Ferrer would win a major if he could reach the final but it's beating Djokovic or Federer at this stage, in the semi finals, that he will always struggle with. If he did advance I think he would push Roger all the way before falling but he could beat Murray. He has the confidence against Murray, he's beaten him five times before and he's won two of their last three meetings. Djokovic won't fear anyone. He will feel he would have beaten Murray in New York if the conditions weren't bordering on dangerous and apart from that match he beats Murray when it matters. Federer and Djokovic have played some epic Grand Slam matches in the past and who wouldn't like to see that one again? I think that's the way this Aussie Open is heading, a Djokovic-Federer final.  

Aussie Open- Women's Semi Finals

The Australian Open women's draw has been full of surprises and tight matches and after almost two weeks of action we are down to just four players. If you read the newspapers or you watched all the tv coverage of the women's draw before this tournament started then you would have got the impression that all Serena had to do was show up. She was heavily fancied by so many for title. Many, including myself, didn't feel Maria was up to the task. Many thought Laura Robson was the young gun to watch. Names like Kvitova, Stosur, Kerber were all thrown about as dark horses. The beauty of the women's game is that it is unpredictable. Serena was beaten by a teenager. The same teenager crushed Robson. Sharapova has barely lost a game all tournament and none of the dark horses have survived to the semi finals.
          In the first semi final tomorrow we have Maria Sharapova and Na Li in a game where something has to give. Neither player has lost a set yet and both have looked in great form. All the signs indicate that this will be a high quality match. Sharapova has cruised through to this point with some incredible demolitions of top players. She is now the favourite for the title and heavily fancied to at least reach the final. I don't think she can afford to look past Li though. Sharapova may have cruised through but being realistic she wasn't tested. It's no secret that the Sharapova second serve is suspect to the yips and she hasn't been under any pressure on her serve yet. Li Na is the type of player who can trouble Maria. She is playing some great tennis and she is a much better mover than Maria. Sharapova has been winning a good percentage of points of her opponents service games but Li has got a good enough second serve to keep Sharapova from being too aggressive and getting the first big hit into the rally. Na Li was able to beat Radwanska by hitting aggressively and hitting a large number of winners. That style is what will be successful against Maria. I think this one will go the distance and I'm giving a slight edge to Li. Maria has been at such a high level that it will be tough for her to go up another gear straight away when she is pressured. Li has been tested and she's passed with flying colours.
           The second semi final contains the world number one Victoria Azarenka and teen sensation Sloane Stephens. Everyone was anticipating the Vika-Serena semi final but 19 year old Stephens had other ideas. It wasn't too big a shock to me that she was able to beat Williams. She had a confidence about her in her interviews beforehand and even dismissed her loss to Williams in Brisbane saying her nerves were gone now so she can focus on her game. She was always going to make her mark on the game and the chance to beat her idol Serena at a major gave her the boost she needed. She struggled to finish out the match but nerves are always going to be there at the end of a match. The disappointing part of this match was Serena's injury. She only seemed to have the injury in between points and when she was winning in the third there was no evidence of the injury. It wasn't nice to see and reminds me of Andy Murray's 'injury' at Roland Garros last year. Stephens is the most promising young player in the game, as she showed when cruising past Laura Robson despite a shoulder injury but Azarenka will be a different prospect.
          She faces a challenge here that she won't be used to. Azarenka is not only as good a mover as Sloane but she is a better mover and so Stephens won't get as many cheap points through grinding as she normally does. She will have to rely on hitting her way to victory. The good news for her is that Vika was pushed hard by Jamie Hampton who came out firing but couldn't sustain the challenge. Stephens will have watched that game over and over to try and learn something. Azarenka hasn't served well on second serve this tournament and that might be an area for Sloane to target. Azarenka was my pick before the tournament and with Serena gone she will have received a major boost. She knows she can match Serena and won't have feared the American but the fact she doesn't have to face her is an added bonus. The stage will be new to Stephens in her first major semi final and by the time she settles I think she could facing the exit. Azarenka is a fast starter and the three set matches will take their toll on the young American. The future is bright for American tennis but it's Azarenka who's light will shine brightest at the end of this semi final.
   

Australian Open Day 8

The first week of the Aussie Open is almost over. The quarter final line-ups are almost set and the tournament is getting very interesting. We have four men's games and four women's games tonight and after last night's drama , will we see any upsets tonight?
          First up is Dane Caroline Wozniacki,who is looking to return to the grand slam quarter final stage after an indifferent 2011. She faces Svetlana Kuznetsova on Rod Laver Arena and this match should be of high quality. Wozniacki has been playing well this week but there are still doubts over her ability to beat the best players in the world in majors. Kuznetsova has no such problems as a two time grand slam winner. The courts and conditions suit Kuznetsova and I think she will have too much for Wozniacki tonight. I've said all week Kuznetsova is a real contender here and tonight, she proves it.
          Victoria Azarenka dropped her first set of the tournament when she faced Jamie Hampton on Friday night. She was in trouble in the third set too but she recovered nicely to win comfortably in the final set. That game will have woken her up and she knows she has to raise her game. Elena Vesnina is her opponent tonight and the Russian has had a great start to the year with only one loss. Vesnina could have a fantastic season but Azarenka will be the one in the quarter finals.
          Jo-Wilfried Tsonga has cruised through to this stage so far but when you look at who he has played it's not the highest of quality opponents. Tonight he faces a real test in Richard Gasquet. Gasquet has been brilliant so far this year and I fancy he could be a possible breakhrough player this year. Riccardo Piatti can take the credit for that. Gasquet now has the mindset and dedication that his game so desperately craved. Tsonga is a big hitter but I question his mentality in big games. I'm going with Gasquet to win this one.
          Jeremy Chardy caused the shock of the tournament by beating Juan Martin Del Potro and he goes into tonight's game as an underdog again against Andreas Seppi. This guy came on the scene a few years back but never really left a lasting impression. He found form last Summer when he beat Andy Murray and Tsonga in successive weeks. He has played quite a lot of tennis so far this week when you combine his doubles and singles and that worries me. Seppi is a great player to get results without playing blinding tennis. These two have never met but I'm going to with the upset and say Chardy continues his good run.
           Sloane Stephens has had little trouble in reaching this stage and is becoming a really exciting prospect. She brushed aside Laura Robson despite a shoulder injury and at 19 she is playing with maturity beyond her years. She faces Bojana Jovanovski tonight and although Jovanovski has had a good run she won't have enough to see off Stephens. Sloane Stephens is about to reach her first grand slam quarter finals.
          Andy Murray hasn't been tested at this years Aussie Open but Gilles Simon is name he won't take lightly. This game would normally be one of the most anticipated of the day but a serious question of Simon's fitness leaves us wondering just how effective he can be. He needed four sets in his first two rounds and five to beat Monfils in the last round. He suffered from cramp throughout that match and it's unknown if the day's break will have been enough for him to recover. I like Simon's style and he should challenge the Scot but it's hard to see him having enough to stop Murray reaching the quarter finals.
         Serena Williams has looked very good this tournament so far and is playing with a real confidence. Her opponents have been good and have played very well but she's dismissed them with ease. Tonight she should be challenged by Maria Kirilenko who has been very good this week. Her match with Yanina Wickmayer was of the highest quality. Kirilenko will look to lengthen the points and back up her serve well to give herself a chance but Serena Williams won't be stopped tonight.
        The final match, for me, is the one to watch. Roger Federer and Milos Raonic played three times last year and all three went to final sets, two of them were final set tie breaks. He has one the fist set of all their meetings and will need to do so again here in order to give himself the confidence. Federer has been stunning so far and will have gained great satisfaction from beating Tomic so comfortably. He is playing well but Raonic will be a test he hasn't yet faced this season. My head says Roger. My heart says Milos. Nine times out ten you listen to your head. This isn't one of those times. Raonic in four.

Australian Open Day 6

So on to day six of the Aussie Open and we have sixteen high quality matches to look forward to tonight. The first match up is the interesting match between Victoria Azarenka and Jamie Hampton. Hampton has been gaining a reputation on the tour recently and I expect her to crack the top thirty this year. This match is going to be a step too far for her though. Azarenka is playing some great tennis and she will want to go into week two on a high. Expect some good rallies but Vika will come through in two.
          The night game on Rod Laver Arena is being built up by tennis pundits everywhere. Everybody is eager to see if Bernard Tomic can actually beat Roger Federer. He is unbeaten this year and many feel he is about to finally make his impact on the tour. That may be the case but will he beat Federer? Absolutely not. Federer is still up there able to compete with Djokovic and Nadal (off the clay) and he has never been beaten by Murray in a major. So the incentive is there for him to prove wrong the pundits who are writing him off. Also it will be Roger's 250th career Grand Slam win if he gets it and with Tomic having been mouthing in the press I expect Roger to come out firing. He will take the ball early and use extreme angles to pull Tomic off the court and win this in three.
             Gilles Simon and Gael Monfils will face off tomorrow morning in what could be a thrilling match. Monfils has recovered well from an injury which kept him out for quite some time and by the end of the year I expect him to have returned to the top thirty and be a force again in majors. Simon is a player who has the ability but looks to always fall just short of beating the top guys. This could be a lengthy five set match and so I will go with Simon to outlast Monfils because of Monfils lack of five set match practice.
            Sloane Stephens will face fellow teen Laura Robson with both players having different passages through to this stage. Robson came through and ugly match with Petra Kvitova in their last game. It was filled with errors and the average rally was three strokes. Kvitova was poor and Robson wasn't much better. Compare that to Sloane Stephens cruising through her games and it's obvious who the favourite is. Stephens is a far better player and should be able to expose Robson's serve and poor movement. I expect Stephens to get through this one in straight sets, just like she did against her last week.
            Milos Raonic and Phillip Kohlschreiber should provide a great game for viewers when they face off in the morning. Kohlschreiber has played well this week and he is the type of player to cause Raonic problems, just like he did to John Isner at the US Open. I like Raonic and I think he could have a massive future but only if he starts bringing his A-game on the big occasions. He was disappointing at Wimbledon and the US Open and the Masters 1000 events but yet he can beat Andy Murray in Tokyo. His serve and ground strokes are a match for anyone and I fully expect Raonic to go on to face Federer in the next round.
           I'm going to go with an upset in the meeting between Andreas Seppi and Marin Cilic. Seppi is improving all the time and is starting to pull out some good wins. Just a hunch that he might knock out Cilic. Svetlana Kuznetsova should progress and remain a real contender for the title here by beating Carla Suarez Navarro in straight sets. Kimiko Date-Krumm at 42 years of age is surely not going to have enough to win another game and so I think Bojana Jovanovski will get the win there.
          Caroline Wozniacki should have too much tennis for Lesia Tsurenko and Serena Williams is another who should have too much power for Ayumi Morita. I expect Maria Kirilenko to continue her run by beating Yanina Wickmayer in straight sets and despite her great start to the year I don't think Elena Vesnina will reach the second week. I fancy the feisty Italian Roberta Vinci to win that one. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga should have a comfortable passage through when he faces Blaz Kavcic. I would be shocked if fellow Frenchman Richard Gasquet didn't join him in the fourth round and beat Ivan Dodig tonight.
          While I expect Andy Murray to win tonight, I am looking forward to seeing Ricardas Berankis playing. He was world number one junior in an age which contained Raonic, Harrison, Tomic, Dimitrov and Nishikori. A horrible misdiagnosis and a bad injury have set him back but he has finally settled into the tour and he should now be able to make a significant impact on the tour. Tonight could be too early for him but remember the name. Murray will need to conserve energy because meetings with Simon/Monfils and then Del Potro await in the next two rounds.
           Finally, Juan Martin Del Potro faces Jeremy Chardy in a battle of two big hitters. Del Potro was playing brilliant in the first two rounds and I genuinely place him as my second favourite for the title right now. Remember back to 2009 when he dominated the Summer and captured the US Open and the similariies in his attitude are alarming. He is returning to full form and when he is at his best I think he could be the one to consistently disrupt that incredible Nadal-Djokovic rivalry we saw last year. This match won't be a problem for him and Delpo will come through with ease.
         

Australian Open Day 5

The fifth day of the 2013 Australian Open promises to be one of the best of the week with so many matches containing two seeded players. First up is the German dark horse, Angelique Kerber who faces talented American Madison Keys. This match could be very entertaining if Keys can produce the sort of form that has her being mentioned as a potential future Grand Slam champion. Kerber has impressed so far and I'm still of the belief that she might just be able to spoil the Azarenka and Williams party. Both of these players have beaten quality opposition this week so something has to give tonight. I like Keys and if she gets the right draw she could be forcing her way into the second week of major tournaments but tonight I have to go with the more experienced Angelique Kerber.
              Novak Djokovic returns to Rod Laver tonight having given two exhibitions in his first two matches. He is playing incredibly well and in this form I don't see anybody beating him. Paul-Henri Mathieu and Ryan Harrison are two good players and neither were able to get any success against the Serb. Radek Stepanek is a dangerous opponent and he will take the game to Djokovic with aggressive serve and volley play. That just won't get it done for me. Djokovic is going to keep his high standards again tonight with a comfortable win.
              Many people are talking of a Sharapova-Williams final but for Sharapova, she cannot look beyond the other Williams sister. Venus Williams has looked very impressive in her opening two games and she will relish this opportunity. Sharapova has yet to drop a single game but I can guarantee she won't find it that easy to beat Williams. Venus is more than capable of winning this one and if she's at her best then I think she could expose the weak second serve of Maria. I really am torn between these two and so only because Venus hasn't won a major in so long I will give a hesitant nod to Sharapova. 
           Following that one David Ferrer will continue his campaign against Marcos Baghdatis in what could be cracker. A lot of people have said that Baghdatis could upset Ferrer simply because of his previous form in Melbourne but people often overlook Ferrer's results here. I don't see Baghdatis beating Ferrer simply because Ferrer will outlast him and is a far more consistent player. Ferrer doesn't lose too often anymore and Baghdatis won't taste success tonight. Ferrer in four.
           Na Li will have a tough match when she faces Sorana Cirstea but it's hard to look beyond the Chinese star. Li should win this one in two tight sets. Joining her in round three should be Ana Ivanovic who faces compatriot Jelena Jankovic in a battle of two players returning to form. Jankovic has played much better in recent months but Ivanovic is much further along her comeback than Jankovic. For that reason, I'm going with Ivanovic.
           Agnieszka Radwanska has impressed me so far this week and I don't see Heather Watson troubling her tonight. Watson will be trying to copy Laura Robson and beat a top seed but Radwanska is a much more consistent player then the Kvitova that Robson faced last night. As long as this game is of a higher standard than that Robson-Kvitova match it will be worth watching. Radwanska in two. Kevin Anderson is always a danger but I don't think he will beat Fernando Verdasco tonight. Verdasco has been impressive this week and he should have too many shots for the South African.
           Tomas Berdych faces Austrian Jurgen Melzer in round three tonight and I think the quality will be high here. Melzer is well able to trade with the best and will fancy himself to push Berdych. However, I still think the Czech star has a blockbuster meeting with Djokovic in the quarter final to look forward to. So he won't be beat tonight, Berdych in three close sets. Marion Bartoli is expected to come through her match against Ekatorina Makarova but I'm not convinced. Makarova is a very talented player and I see her beating Bartoli tonight in a close game.
           Sam Querrey was lucky Brian Baker got hurt in his last game and I think his luck will run out now as he faces Stanislas Wawrinka. Wawrinka has been hitting well since I saw him last week at an exhibition event. Wawrinka in three. Julien Benneteau has had a good run this week but I see that run ending as he faces Janko Tipsarevic tonight. Tipsy has been in great form and should do enough to make the fourth round and the second week.
            Kei Nishikori should overcome Mikhail Youzhny's conqueror Evgeny Donskoy in four sets tonight, while I see an upset in the women's draw when Jie Zheng faces 18th seed Julia Goerges. Valeria Savinyk had a great win over Dominika Cibulkova and I have a hunch she will score another upset against Kirsten Flipkens. Finally, Nicolas Almagro will face Jerzy Janowicz on show court three in what could be a classic. Janowicz struggled mentally after a poor line call against Devvarman in the last round but he showed great resolve to comeback with a bang, almost literally, as he hit his way to victory in time losing very few games in the final three sets. I like Almagro and he has a chance to take a step further up the rankings if he can move into week two but I'm going to go with Janowicz to get a major upset in this one. 
         
         

Australian Open Day 4 Preview

So what did we learn from day three of the Australian Open? We learnt that Sam Stosur still hasn't made improvements in her mentality. Leading 5-2 in the final set against Jie Zheng she lost five games in a row to again lose early in Melbourne. It will take a monumental effort for anyone to beat Novak Djokovic. He was sensational again last night against Ryan Harrison and is in ominous form. Finally, don't get Jerzy Janowicz mad on court. He lost the plot completely last night at a line call and in the next two sets he lost just one game and is still alive and dangerous in the men's draw. So on to today's action and let's see what the matches worth watching are tonight.
            Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams both had convincing wins in the first round and I think both will enjoy similar success tonight especially after yet another 6-0 6-0 win for Maria Sharapova last night. Williams also has the chance to get two successive love and love wins and few would back against her doingit again tonight against Garbine Muguruza. Vika had a patch in the last match where she wasn't at her best but she was never in any danger of losing. She faces Elina Daniilidou and should come through with ease. Results: Williams and Azarenka both to win in two short sets.
            Nikolay Davydenko was at his vintage best in Doha this year and is due another big run at a Grand Slam. In his way of continuing his form is Roger Federer who was also impressive in his first match of the year on Tuesday. This match could be the game of the first week. If Davydenko plays at the level we saw a few weeks ago then this match could be close. Federer has a massive head to head lead but I think he will be pushed hard here. I'd like to say Davydenko but I'm going to go with Federer in four or five sets.
            Petra Kvitova may not have been at her brilliant best but the fact that she won is a positive step for her. These courts and conditions are suited to her game and if she can find some confidence then she becomes a major contender here. She faces Laura Robson today in what should be a decent match. I don't think Robson was too impressive against Oudin Tuesday and her serve was suspect at times. Her poor movement will be exposed against better players. If Kvitova plays like she has the last few months then Robson has a shot. If she is anywhere near her best then she wins this in two.
             Su-Wei Hsieh has risen through the rankings impressively in the past year or so but she faces a very stiff test from the unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova tonight. Kuznetsova is a very dangerous player and let's not forget she is a two time Grand Slam winner. She knows what it takes to win big tournaments and at 27 she is  still young enough to win more. She has a powerful and consistent game that will see her compete with the likes of Williams and Azarenka. I like Hsieh and she is getting better but I'm going with Kuznetsova in two.
              Milos Raonic was again disappointing in his opening match when he fell a set down but he recovered and when he did, man, did he show us what he can do. He has a huge fourth round meeting with Federer in store for him and in the past he has lost disappointingly to weaker opponents. This year has to be a big year for him or he could fall away. He faces Lukas Rosol who can be dangerous, just ask Rafa Nadal. This could be the biggest hitting match we've seen in a long time with two players who don't like being overpowered. Rosol has shown since Wimbledon he doesn't have the consistency to last on the tour and Raonic will expose him tonight.
             In other men's games we should see wins Phillip Kohlschreiber, Gilles Simon, Richard Gasquet and I expect a comfortable win for Juan Martin Del Potro. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Andreas Seppi, Andy Murray, Bernard Tomic, Blaz Kavcic, Gael Monfils and Marin Cilic should all find themselves in round three. Three very close matches take place on outside courts today also. I expect Jarkko Nieminen to overcome Ivan Dodig, Ricardas Berankis to upset Florian Mayer and Jeremy Chardy to upset Marcel Granollers.
             Maria Kirilenko should come through a close match with Shuai Peng in their second round clash, while I think fellow Russian, Elena Vesnina, won't have enough to beat Varvaro Lepchenko. Yanina Wickmayer won't be one to fall to an upset when she faces 19 year old Jana Cepelova, although I do think the young Slovak has a bright future. I think there will also be wins for Annika Beck, Lucie Safarova, Jamie Hampton, Shahar Peer, Lesia Tsurenko, Carla Suarez Navarro, Roberta Vinci, is a dangerous player and she should advance to round three tonight with ease.
             The Hisense Arena plays host to a fascinating match between two players at different stages of their career. Caroline Wozniacki is starting to come back to the top of the game again after a rough 2011 and 2012 but she will know better than anyone that she was handed the match against Lisicki. The German threw that game away and she will need to be much better when she faces 16 year old Donna Vekic. Vekic is a real prospect and the Croatian is smashing down the door of the top 100. I rate her higher than the British girls, Laura Robson and Heather Watson, and many of the young American prospects already now, let alone in the future. Wozniacki is a consistent player and it will be a real test of Vekic to see if she has the patience to break her down. I have a feeling we could see a star born on Hisense tonight and Vekic will score a huge win. In terms of young prospects she is second only to Sloane Stephens, who I expect to win comfortably tonight also.  
             

Australian Open Day 3 Preview & Predictions

The first two days of the 2013 Australian Open have seen some great performances, some upsets and some thrilling entertainment. Over the first two days we lost a lot of the potential dark horses from both draws but new players have emerged as threats to the favourites. So let's take a quick look at the big games of day 3.
            Irina-Camelia Begu is no doubt a talented player and had a good win over Arantxa Rus on Monday but I think she will be overwhelmed on Rod Laver Arena. She faces Agnieszka Radwanska and the Polish number one will be looking for an assured performance after a slow start in her opener. After impressive displays from Azarenka and Serena last night, Angnieszka needs to show her own qualities. Irina-Camelia Begu vs A. Radwanska. Winner: Radwanska.
             Tomas Berdych was a comfortable winner against Michael Russell in his opener and today he faces Guillaume Rufin in round two. Rufin is a nice player with plenty of ability but he lacks the consistency to beat the Czech. Berdych is one of the outsiders for the title and he will want to advance with little fuss to be fully fresh ahead of a potential quarter final meeting with Novak Djokovic. G. Rufin vs T. Berdych. Winner: Berdych in three.
             Jie Zheng has proven herself to be a top player in the past and she ran Serena very close at Wimbledon last year and probably should have won. She has fallen away from the top of the game but is still a danger and Sam Stosur will need to be at her best to advance tonight. Stosur has fallen well short in front of her home fans in the past and this match is another game where she could be beaten. Mentally there are questions about whether she can actually win here and if she hasn't solved those mental frailties then she will fall here. If she wins then she becomes a real contender for the title. S. Stosur vs J. Zheng. Winner: Could go either way but I'll go with the Aussie, Stosur.
               Venus Williams showed on Monday why is still a top player when she came through only losing one game. She looked impressive from start to finish and a meeting with Sharapova on Friday will be her reward for winning this one. Alize Cornet beat Erakovic in her opener which was very impressive. Erakovic is a strong player and isn't beaten too easily. Cornet is a quality opponent but does she have the ability to beat an in form Venus? A. Cornet vs V. Williams. Winner: Venus in two close sets.
               An intriguing match wraps up proceedings on Rod Laver as Novak Djokovic faces Ryan Harrison. Harrison is an up and coming player hoping to make an impact at a major event and he has the perfect opportunity as he faces the world number one in round two. But beating Djokovic is not easy to do and I think Harrison will be overwhelmed by the quality of Novak's play. Djokovic was outstanding against Mathieu and if he plays close to that level again then he will be advancing with minimum fuss. N. Djokovic vs R. Harrison. Winner: Djokovic in three.
               Maria Sharapova made a statement of intent when she beat Puchkova 6-0 6-0 in round one and in the process dismissed reports of her collarbone injury. That win was very impressive because if you watched the game then you would have seen Puchkova hitting the ball very clean and with purpose but Maria stood tall and hit through her. Misaki Doi beat Petra Martic in a minor upset but this will be step too far. M. Sharapova vs M. Doi. Winner: Sharapova in two quick sets.
               Angelique Kerber is a woman I'm watching out for this fortnight. I think she can make a real charge at the title and she won't fear Vika or Serena. She started well on Monday and should beat Lucie Hradecka today. A. Kerber vs L. Hradecka. Winner: Kerber in two.
               David Ferrer had a good start to his campaign and I think it will get even better today when he faces Tim Smyczek. Winner: Ferrer in three. Out on court 8 Jerzy Janowicz continues his campaign as he faces Somdev Devvarman. Janowicz was very good in his opener and I expect him to be firing well in this one. Winner: Janowicz in four.
              Also on day 3 we should see wins for Klara Zakopalova against Kirsten Flipkens and Julien Benneteau against Edouard Roger-Vasselin. In the women's draw there should be wins for Ana Ivanovic, Julia Goerges, Jelena Jankovic, Marion Bartoli, Na Li and Dominika Cibulkova. Meanwhile in the men's event there should be comfortable progression for Janko Tipsarevic,  Marcos Baghdatis, Nicolas Almagro, Stanislas Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori.
              I think Brian Baker might get an upset win over fellow American Sam Querrey. Querrey didn't impress me in his opener and I just think there could be a shock. Two more seeds I think could be beaten are Radek Stepanek in the men's and Tamira Paszek in the women's. Feliciano Lopez takes on Stepanek and I've got a feeling he will get a win. Madison Keys takes on Paszek and I think the young American will continue her good run of form and beat the 30th seed.  
             

Australian Open Day 1 Preview

We've talked about it for weeks now but were just under two hours away from the start of the 2013 Australian Open. I've previewed both draws already and now I'm going to look at the first day's play and discuss who will be advancing and who might struggle. So let's get straight into it.
          Last year's beaten finalist Maria Sharapova kicks off the tournament when she meets Olga Puchkova on Rod Laver. Sharapova needs to get off to a good start to dismiss the concerns over her fitness after she pulled out of the event in Brisbane. These two have never met before and I would expect Sharapova to win this one in two sets.
          Second on Laver is home favourite Sam Stosur as she looks to get her campaign underway against Kai-Chen Chang who has a winning record against the Aussie. Chang beat Stosur in Osaka last year and will have confidence heading into this one especially with the way Stosur has played in Australia in recent years. I think Stosur will manage to get through this one but it could be a struggle.
          Next up is men's defending champion Novak Djokovic who opens against talented Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu. Djokovic has won their last three meetings, including one in Australia, but they haven't met since 2009. Mathieu is rising back up the rankings and has the talent to challenge the top players but Djokovic should be too strong for him. I expect some good tennis in this one but Djokovic will wear down his opponent and win in three.
            The first night match of the tournament promises to be a marathon. Lleyton Hewitt and Janko Tipsarevic meet in the tie of the round in the men's draw. Tipsarevic is seeded eight here but Hewitt beat Raonic, Del Potro and Berdych last week to win in Kooyong. I think the crowd will have a huge influence on this one and get behind Hewitt. I expect the upset and Hewitt will get it done in five.
            Ana Ivanovic opens what she hopes will be a strong two weeks against Melinda Czink in the final match on Laver Arena. Ivanovic has been playing well since the beginning of last year and I expect her to return to the top ten very soon. She has a good record against Czink and I expect her to win this one.
            Venus Williams is first up on Hisense Arena and she takes on Galina Voskoboeva in their first meeting. Venus is still a tricky customer and I think she will be very tough to beat here. I think she will win this one with little fuss in two comfortable sets.
           A very interesting match takes place after that with young David Goffin taking on Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco has had some joy here in the past but he isn't as good as he was when he almost beat Rafa Nadal a few years ago. I'm going to go with an upset here and pick the up and coming Goffin.
           Aussie Ashleigh Barty would have been confident coming into this event but I don't think she got any luck in the draw when getting Dominika Cibulkova. Barty has a bright future in the game but I think she will lack the experience to deal with the aggressive Cibulkova.
            Finally on Hisense, David Ferrer opens his account against Olivier Rochus. These two have met nine times but Rochus hasn't beaten Ferrer since 2006 and has lost their last six meetings winning only two sets. Ferrer should take this one in three.
             Na Li has enjoyed success in Melbourne before and she should have no problems opening her account against Sesil Karantatcheva on the Margaret Court. Second on Margaret is Agnieszka Radwanska who should also have an easy time of it against Bojana Bobusic. Casey Dellacqua will try to take advantage of the home crowd when she faces Madison Keys on Margaret. I like Dellacqua but I'm going to go with the 17 year old Keys to get the win.
          Mikhail Youzhny is also on this court when he faces Matthew Ebden. Youzhny is seeded here and heavily fancied to win this one but since I first saw the draw I've had a hunch Ebden will get it done. With home advantage I'm tipping an upset in this one.
           Albert Ramos and Marcos Baghdatis have a night match and it should be worth watching. I see this going four or five sets but, the former finalist here in Australia, Baghdatis will get it done in the end.
            The show court number 2 has got four matches containing some big names. Julia Goerges has a losing record against Vera Dushevina but I fancy her to avenge that loss tonight. Tomas Berdych should be a comfortable straight sets winner against Michael Russell. Angelique Kerber should be very comfortable in her match against Elins Svitolina and Juan Monaco should also win against Andrey Kuznetsov.
            Nicolas Almagro will get a win over Steve Johnson on court 3. Marion Bartoli and Jelena Jankovic should win against Anabel Medina Garrigues and Johanna Larsson respectively. Young Camila Giorgi should win her match against Stephanie Foretz Gacon. Fabio Fognini and Roberto Bautista-Agut has got entertainment written all over it and Fognini will win in five. Petra Martic is a danger in the women's draw and she will beat Misaki Doi.
            In the men's draw I think there will be wins for Sam Querrey, Kei Nishikori, Stanislas Wawrinka, Feliciano Lopez and Brian Baker. Ryan Harrison should get over Santiago Giraldo, while I fancy Grigor Dimitrov to get over Julien Benneteau. Radek Stepanek should overcome Viktor Troicki and Jerzy Janowicz should beat Simone Bolelli.
            In the women's draw I see wins for Klara Zakopalova, Sorana Cirstea and Heather Watson. Irina-Camelia Begu is a talented Romanian but I'm tipping the left-handed Arantxa Rus to get an upset in that one. It should be a great opening day and hopefully we get some entertainment and good tennis.

Australian Open Women's Preview

If you've been watching the previews of the women's event and listening to the experts then you will know that Serena Williams is expected to coast to the title. Since losing in the first round of the French Open she has lost only once and has won two Grand Slam titles. The beauty of the women's game is it's unpredictability. The top players can have an off day and there are so many lower ranked players able to take advantage. This years Australian Open has the potential to be one of the more exciting women's events.
          Williams is the odds on favourite to win the title and rightly so. She has been the best players over the last six months of action. She looks a lot trimmer than she normally does and I think she has worked very hard on her fitness over the break. She looks determined to win every match and when she is in her groove very few can even hit with her, let alone beat her. She has the greatest serve women's tennis has ever seen and knows how to use it. It will take a monumental effort to beat her and if nobody can produce that then she will be the holder of three Grand Slams and on the verge of completing a second Serena Slam.
          The top seed for this event and defending champion, Victoria Azarenka, might feel she has every right to be considered the biggest threat to Serena. She stormed to the title last year crushing Maria Sharapova 6-3 6-0 in the final and I think she is right up there with Williams. Their US Open final was a classic. Azarenka was the first woman in a long time to actually compete with Serena at her best. She is able to hit with Williams and they are on a collision course to meet in the semi final in what would be an epic clash. It's between those two, in my opinion, and barring massive upset the winner of their meeting will be the champion.
              Sharapova is someone I think might be suspect to an early exit. She isn't at her best and is suffering from a collarbone injury. Her serve leaves her down on the big occasion and mentally I'm not sure she believes she can beat Williams or Azarenka anymore. She will need to regain her confidence pretty fast or she could endure a miserable time in Melbourne. Angnieszka Radwanska has started the year with two titles and she should be full of confidence. She pushed Serena to three sets in the Wimbledon final last year despite a virus keeping her out of practice at the time. She is in the easier side of the draw and has a chance to make a good run to the final.
              Petra Kvitova has endured a nightmare start to the year and is really struggling for form. She could be in danger of an early exit with a tough section but on the other hand she is dangerous if she hits form. It could go either way with her but if she does start playing like we know she can then she becomes a contender. Na Li is another dangerous player who has started strongly this year. She has reached the final here before but I'm not convinced she is capable of winning it out. She was unlucky against Clijsters here last year and might feel she is due good fortune. Staying with the theme of unpredictability, Sam Stosur is another dangerous player with the weapons to win here. She struggled massively in Australia last year and hasn't looked much better this year so far. Could she turn it around and win in front of her home fans?
               Ana Ivanovic is coming back to form and she might feel she is due a deep run at a Grand Slam. Since employing Nigel Sears a few years back she has regained her confidence and is a threat to the top players again. Is she ready to reannounce herself on the big stage? Tsvetana Pironkova is finding the consistency that her game so desperately craved and she is mor than capable of beating the top players. She has been a revelation at Wimbledon in the past but can she repeat that form here? Sabine Lisicki and Caroline Wozniacki are two players unfortunate enough to meet in the first round. Lisicki has the power to beat the best and is capable of a deep run. Wozniacki is starting to find her form again after slipping way down the rankings. The winner of this meeting is going to be difficult to beat and could upset one or two of the favourites along the way.
               Angelique Kerber is a genuine danger in this event. She is now established in the top ten and is the last woman to beat Serena. She has beaten almost all the top ten and has the talent to win Grand Slams but the question is does she have the mentality? I think she does but I'm not sure she believes in herself enough when she's behind. If she can find her way into week two without wasting much energy then she becomes a top contender. Dominika Cibulkova may have been double bageled by Radwanska last week but she did have some great wins along the way to that final and she has the firepower to hit through anyone. She struggles to maintain her form for long periods though and if you stay with her then you can reap the rewards but she should have enough to reach week two.
              Can you ever substitute experience? It is crucial in this game and Venus Williams has tons of it. She knows how to win matches and I really think she has another big performance at a Grand Slam in her. This could be her chance to upset Sharapova and reach the second week. Another veteran who I think is a dark horse here is Svetlana Kuznetsova. She had a tough 2012 but she is now back to her old self and is still only 27. She has the game to win majors as she's shown before. She won the US Open in 2004 and French Open in 2009 and is due another slam. She started the year well, beating Julia Goerges and Caroline Wozniacki before losing to Kerber. She could be a surprise package this year.
              From veterans to young guns and we have a number of dangerous young players this year all capable of winning matches. Laura Robson had some big wins in New York last year but I don't think she is ready to make consistent runs on the tour. She will be overpowered by so many players and she will struggle against players with better movement. Heather Watson is another young player starting to make a name for herself. She doesn't have an easy draw but she has a chance to win some tight matches and possibly reach a third round. Sloane Stephens, on the other hand, she can win and she can win big. She has the game and will fancy herself to beat either Sharapova, Schiavone or Robson in round three. I think she could reach week two and I like her chances of winning slams in the future. A real threat this fortnight comes in the shape of Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. The young Russian beat Kvitova and Kerber on her way to the Brisbane final before being outclassed by Serena. She has the ability to go deep and I firmly believe she will win a major someday. Maria Kirilenko is another Russian worth watching over the next week or so and keep an eye on Camila Giorgi. She made a run into week two at Wimbledon last year and might have a shot at a few big wins here.

Australian Open Men's Preview

Two weeks of entertainment. Two weeks of sun. Two weeks of an atmosphere like no other. Two weeks of Australian Open tennis. It's the first Grand Slam of the year and nothing compares to the experience that these players will go through in Melbourne. Along with trying to hit their stride on the back of little competitive practice the players will have to deal with temperatures of over 40 degrees and humidity like they've not seen anywhere else. So who will have the mental strength to deal with the conditions? Who has done the hard work off the court during the Christmas? Who's game is at a point where they can win through the fortnight and claim the first Grand Slam of 2013? Let's take a look at who the main contenders will be.

              At the top of the men's draw sits a man looking to become the first in the open era to win three Australian Open titles in a row. Novak Djokovic, the winner of the longest final in history last year, is the top seed this year and the favourite to regain the title. He hasn't played an official tour event yet this year but did take part in the Hopman Cup and an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi where he looked in impressive form. If he is on form throughout the fortnight then it's hard to look past him. He could face a stiff challenge from Scotland's Andy Murray who finally won his first Grand Slam last year in New York. Murray was on top form during the Summer when he won the Olympics and US Open but Djokovic regained control of their rivalry in the final months of the season with two impressive victories over him. Winning that major title was an impressive leap forward for Murray but not because of his play. It was his mental strength that won him the title. The conditions were atrocious in New York over the final three days but Murray didn't let it affect him. Djokovic struggled. Berdych struggled. Murray prospered. If that happened at any other time in Murray's career he would have fallen apart but he showed great strength to win the title. The only question left with Murray is: Can he beat two of the big three in succession to win a major title? 

              He may be 31 years of age but Roger Federer is a man you write off at your peril. He showed that in London last year when he cruised past Andy Murray in the semi finals of the World Finals and then pushed Djokovic all the way in a thrilling final. He still has the hunger and desire to win more Grand Slams and when he is at his best he can still beat the best, as we saw at Wimbledon last year when he beat Djokovic and Murray with minimum fuss. Any man who has lifted 17 major titles has to be considered a major threat in these competitions but looking at his draw you would have to say he is up against it. He could potentially face Paire, Davydenko, Tomic, Raonic and Tsonga all in a row and that is before meeting Murray or Del Potro in the semis. If he does manage to get through to win this title then I think it will be his greatest Grand Slam title, given the difficulty he faces. I think he has a shot but the important question is how effective will he be having had no match yet this year?

              David Ferrer has done everything in the game but win a major. He finallly won a Masters 1000 event last year in Paris but he has never been to a major final. I think everyone would like to see him lift a major title but whether he has the ability to beat the best I'm not convinced. In recent years he has started pushing the top four hard in majors, he even beat Murray at the French Open last year but that was expected given it was on clay. He has played some great tennis so far this year and has just won the title in Auckland so he will be confident. I think he will go far and if he can find his best game on the biggest stage then he might be capable of upsetting Djokovic in the semi finals but it will have to something special for him to win the title here. Does he have that something special in him? We'll have to wait and see.

               Fifth seed Tomas Berdych has one of those that can beat anybody on his day but it was his mentality that left him down. That's not the case anymore. He has been brilliant in the last year or two. Since reaching the Wimbledon final in 2010 he has improved dramatically. People forget he is still only 27 and I get the feeling this might be his time. As Pat Cash said "Every dog has his day" and I think Berdych is at a point in his career where he needs to step it up and start bringing consistency to his game in Grand Slams. I still can't believe he didn't beat Murray in New York. He was sensational in the first set but he let the wind get into his head and handed Murray the initiative. This fortnight could be the biggest in his career. He has a potential quarter final against Djokovic and if he can get through that then he will be a strong favourite to reach the final. Does he have the mentality to back up his power game?

                Sometimes we see players make a huge run in a Grand Slam and never reach the same levels again. It's happened in Melbourne a few times. Marcos Baghdatis in 2006 and Fernando Gonzalez in 2007 are examples. This is not the case with Juan Martin Del Potro. He won the US Open in 2009 but hasn't been to a major final since. A big reason for that was his wrist injury which set him back over a year. Only last year did we start seeing him return to his best. When he won that title in 2009 it looked like he was going to dominate the game. I think he still has the potential to win more slams. He should have beaten Federer at the French Open last year but he got injured at two sets up but he has recovered again. He lost a classic to Federer at the Olympics and lost to Djokovic at the US Open which there is no shame in. He became the first players to beat Federer twice in a year indoors last year and I think he is for a great 2013. Will that result in a Grand Slam title? I think so, but the question is will it be here in Melbourne? Time will tell.

               Richard Gasquet has always had the talent but lacked the mentality and commitment to really excel. Since employing Ricardo Piatti as his coach that hasn't been the case. He is showing consistency and desire that we have never seen before. He was breathtaking in Doha but not entirely for his shot making. We always knew he had the shots but the way he fought back from losing positions in two matches was great to see. If he continues showing that hunger then he becomes a threat in Grand Slams but winning one will require another step up mentally and another step up in his game. Tommy Haas may be a veteran but he is not finished competing at the top of the game. He has been well rested coming into this event after losing early last week and I'm sure he has done the work necessary to get himself into shape for this major. This has always been his best Grand Slam and he has had good results in the past here. If he gets a run going then he will be tough to stop and he will relish the chance to upset some big names.

               A man that seems to always leave me down in big events when I talk him up is Milos Raonic. He has so much talent and is so strong mentally he has to eventually step up and perform in a major. He has beaten Murray. He has run Federer into final set tie breaks but he loses to players that he should be beating. In Melbourne, under the heat he will have a huge advantage over a lot of players. His serve and powerful forehand will allow him to end points quickly and that ability is your best friend in the heat. I hope he gets through to that meeting with Federer and play his best tennis and prove himself on the biggest stage, even if he loses the match it will serve him well for the remainder of the season.       

             This year there are so many dangerous players in the draw that it is tough to predict further than  first round or two. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is always dangerous and has reached the final here before but I think he has to show us what he can do on the big stage or he will find himself becoming less and less of a figure in the latter stages of tournaments. Martin Klizan had a great year last year but can he repeat it this season? A good run here would go a long way to helping him rise through the rankings. What about Jerzy Janowicz? He has come from sleeping in his car on the Challenger Tour last year to seeded for a major. He beat five top twenty players in a row in Paris and that can't be ignored. He has a huge serve and a monstrous forehand and I think he might enjoy the conditions here. How effective will he be this season? We might get a better idea of how far he can go this week. Two players showing good form who I think are worth watching this week are Stanislas Wawrinka and Nicolas Almagro, although I think they are just short of making a semi final appearance.

               Two young players I think could be outside threats are Bernard Tomic and Grigor Dimitrov. Tomic just won his first title on the tour this week in Sydney and hasn't been beaten this year. He beat Haas and Djokovic in Perth and had some good wins this week so he might just be a threat to Federer in round three, especially with the home crowd. Dimitrov started the year with a run to the final in Brisbane and that's on top of a great year where he rose through the rankings and I think he could make a good run here and be a danger for the entire season. Finally two veterans of the game that have shown form lately. Nikolay Davydenko was at the top of his game in Doha where he reached the final before injury prevented him competing in the third set of the final. If he plays like that this week then he could upset Federer in round two. Lleyton Hewitt has a tough opener against Janko Tipsarevic but he showed in the Kooyong Classic this week that he can still beat the best. He rolled back the years to beat Raonic, Berdych and Del Potro en route to the title and he was in really good form. His match with Tipsarevic has marathon written all over it but for the winner they have a chance to make a good run. 

               There are no certainties in tennis anymore but I can guarantee that this years Aussie Open will be thrilling and full of high quality play and plenty of upsets. For daily updates over the fortnight check out my facebook page, Dean O'Mahoney's Sports Journalism. 

Australian Open Women's Draw- Quarter 1

V. Azarenka (1)
M. Niculescu

E. Danilidou
K. Pliskova

qualifier
S. Arvidsson

J. Hampton
U. Radwanska (31)

V. Lepchenko (21)
P. Hercoq

C. Garcia
E. Vesnina

M. Johansson
qualifier

S. Soler-Espinosa
R. Vinci (16)

C. Wozniacki (10)
S. Lisicki

A. Hlavackova
D. Vekic

qualifier
L. Davis

qualifier
A. Pavlyuchenkova (24)

S. Hsieh (26)
L. Arruabarrena Lino

S. Kuznetsova
L. Dominguez-Lino

Y. Putintseva
C. McHale

C. Suarez Navarro
S. Errani (7)

Australian Open Women's Draw- Quarter 2

S. Williams (3)
E. Gallovits-Hall

M. Rybarikova
G. Muburuzza

A. Morita
A. Tatishvilli

A. Beck
Y. Shvedova (28)

Y. Wickmayer (20)
J. Gajdosova

qualifier
J. Cepelova

R. Marino
S. Peng

V. King
M. Kirilenko (14)

N Petrova (12)
K. Date Krumm

S. Peer
A. Panova

M. Torro-Flor
B. Jovanovski

M. Lucic-Baroni
L. Safarova (17)

S. Stephens (29)
S. Halep

K. Mladenovic
T. Babos

L. Robson
M. Oudin

F. Schiavone
P. Kvitova (8)

Australian Open Women's Draw- Quarter 3

N. Li (6)
S. Karatantcheva

P. Parmentier
O. Govortsova

K. Pliskova
S. Jones

C. Vandeweghe
S. Cirstea (27)

J. Goerges (18)
qualifier

R. Oprandi
T. Pironkova

Y. Zhang
J. Zheng

K. Chang
S. Stosur (9)

A. Ivanovic (13)
M. Czink

qualifier
D. Hantuchova

qualifier
qualifier

J. Larsson
J. Jankovic (22)

M. Barthel (32)
K. Pervak

H. Watson
A. Cadantu

I. Begu
A. Rus

B. Bobusic
A. Radwanksa (4)

Australian Open Women's Draw- Quarter 4

A. Kerber (5)
E. Svitolina

L. Hradecka
K. Bertens

C. Dellacqua
M. Keys

S. Voegele
T. Paszek (30)

E. Makarova (19)
qualifier

C. Giorgi
S. Foretz-Gacon

qualifier
O. Rogowska

A. Medina-Garrigues
M. Bartoli (11)

D. Cibulkova (15)
A. Barty

M. Minella
qualifier

K. Flipkens
N. Bratchikova

C. Scheepers
K. Zakopalova (23)

V. Williams (25)
G. Voskoboeva

A. Cornet
M. Erakovic

P. Martic
M. Doi

O. Puchkova
M. Sharapova (2)

Australian Open Men's Draw- Quarter 4

J. Tsonga (7)
M. Llodra

G. Soeda
L. Saville

J. Duckworth
B. Mitchell

B. Kavcic
T. Bellucci (29)

T. Haas (19)
J. Nieminen

I. Dodig
D. Wu

J. Ouanna
A. Falla

A. Montanes
R. Gasquet (9)

M. Raonic (13)
J. Hajek

qualifier
L. Rosol

qualifier
G. Pella

S. Darcis
P. Kohlschreiber (17)

M. Klizan (27)
qualifier

B. Tomic
L. Mayer

qualifier
N. Davydenko

B. Paire
R. Federer (2)

Australian Open Men's Draw- Quarter 3

J. Del Potro (6)
qualifier

A. Bedene
B. Becker

J. Chardy
qualifier

G. Zemlja
M. Granollers (30)

A. Seppi (21)
H. Zeballos

I. Sijsling
D. Istomin

G. Garcia-Lopez
qualifier

M. Matosevic
M. Cilic (12)

G. Simon (14)
F. Volandri

T. Robredo
J. Levine

Y. Lu
R. Hidalgo

G. Monfils
A. Dolgopolov (18)

F. Mayer (25)
R. Williams

qualifier
S. Stakhovsky

J. Sousa
J. Smith

R. Haase
A. Murray (3)

Australian Open Men's Draw- Quarter 2

D. Ferrer (4)
O. Rochus

I. Karlovic
qualifier

J. Millman
T. Ito

A. Ramos
M. Baghdatis (28)

M. Youzhny (23)
M. Ebden

E. Donskoy
A. Ungur

qualifier
C. Berlocq

V. Hanescu
K. Nishikori (16)

N. Almagro (10)
qualifier

D. Gimeno-Traver
L. Kubot

B. Phau
S. Devvarman

S. Bolelli
J. Janowicz (24)

J. Benneteau (32)
G. Dimitrov

E. Roger-Vasselin
qualifier

L. Lacko
G. Muller

L. Hewitt
J. Tipsarevic (8)

Australian Open Men's Draw- Quarter 1

N. Djokovic (1)
P. Mathieu

R. Harrison
S. Giraldo

qualifier
F. Lopez

V. Troicki
R. Stepanek (31)

S. Querrey (20)
qualifier

qualifier
B. Baker

T. Kamke
F. Cipolla

qualifier
S. Wawrinka (15)

J. Monaco (11)
A. Kuznetsov

K. Anderson
P. Lorenzi

X. Malisse
P. Andujar

D. Goffin
F. Verdasco (22)

J. Melzer (26)
M. Kukushkin

F. Fognini
R. Bautista-Agut

qualifier
G. Rufin

M. Russell
T. Berdych (5)

Australian Open Seeding

The seeding for this years Australian Open has been completed and both the men's and the women's defending champions have been seeded first. Novak Djokovic leads the men, while Victoria Azarenka is top of the women's seeding. Roger Federer comes in as second seed looking to add to his grand slam collection with another title here in Melbourne. Andy Murray takes advantage of Nadal's absence to be seeded three while David Ferrer is seeded four. The seeding from 5-8 is as strong as it's been in years for a grand slam. Tomas Berdych, Juan Martin Del Potro, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Janko Tipsarevic are all capable of upsetting the top four making the quarter finals a difficult prospect for everyone. Richard Gasquet is seeded ninth and could be one to watch after an impressive win in Doha last week. Nicolas Almagro is the tenth seed and after pushing Djokovic in Abu Dhabi he might be confident of a good run. Other notable seeds are the big serving North Americans, John Isner (12) and Milos Raonic (14), German veteran Tommy Haas (20), big hitting Jerzy Janowicz (25) and 2012 Newcomer of the Year Martin Klizan (28) which means the impressive Niklay Davydenko goes unseeded meaning he could turn up early for anybody.
          Victoria Azarenka will be fit to defend her title after an infection forced her to pull out of her semi final match in Brisbane last week. She is seeded ahead of favourite Serena Williams who is seeded third. Maria Sharapova is the second seed but there are doubts about her fitness after she pulled out of Brisbane last week. Agnieszka Radwanska made her first Grand Slam final appearance last year at Wimbledon and comes in here seeded fourth. Dangerous German Angelique Kerber is seeded five as she aims for her first major. Na Li and Sara Errani could be dark horses during the fortnight and they are seeded six and seven. Big hitting Petra Kvitova is eighth,while home favourite Sam Stosur is ninth. The top ten is concluded with Dane Caroline Wozniacki who continues her quest to finally win a grand slam. Ana Ivanovic looks to be returning to the form that saw her lift the French Open and she could be dangerous as the 13th seed. Other notable seeds are Maria Kirilenko (14), Dominika Cibulkova (15), Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (24), Venus Williams (25) and Sloane Stephens (29).

ATP Auckland & WTA Hobart

In the women's event in Hobart this week we are lacking some big names but that does allow some smaller names to make a name for themselves. Mona Barthel is very capable of winning this week but again I think she is just too inconsistent to get it done. I did fancy Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova this week but she pulled out after reaching the final in Brisbane. Young American Sloane Stephens is a contender after some great performances last week and a convincing win over Laura Robson. Francesca Schiavone is a possible contender but I think her game isn't suited and she will be beaten. My tip for this event is Klara Zakopalova. There isn't odds for this event with the main bookmakers but if you can find somewhere to back it then I think she is the woman to go for.
          In Auckland, David Ferrer is the odds on favourite and with good reason. He was good last week but suffered at the hands of Davydenko. Ferrer is a top player and will contend every event he enters this year. He is virtually certain to reach the semi finals and there he could meet Tommy Haas. Haas is a top player but I think he will need a few matches to find his rhythm. For that reason, I think Ferrer will find himself in the final. Phillip Kohlschreiber is too inconsistent to win this week and Sam Querrey might also need some time to find his game this season. Fifth seed Jerzy Janowicz is a player I think everyone is looking forward to seeing this week. He exploded on to the scene last year and it will be fascinating to see how he manages his game this week. He could fire his way to the final this week and if he is on form then nobody in his half of the draw will be able to compete with him. He goes off at 10/1 this week which is tempting, as is the 8/1 offered on Tommy Haas but your money this week has to be on David Ferrer. He may be 4/5 but he is almost certain to lift the title this week. Querrey is 11/2 and Kohlschreiber is 7/1 but the man who is soon to become Spanish number one is my tip for the week.