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).
Tuesday, 8 January 2013
Sunday, 6 January 2013
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.
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.
ATP & WTA Sydney
This week, Sydney plays host to two events as both the women and men have a tournament here this week. There are a number of high quality players in both fields and I'm going to have a quick look at who the contenders for the titles are. With just a week to go to the first Grand Slam of the year players will be looking to fine tune their games to try and get themselves into form.
Starting with the men's draw and the top seed for the event is John Isner who makes his debut on the tour this season. He faces some tricky matches and if he is to make a run here he will need to be on his game. Isner can often disappoint and I really think he has to show us what he is made of this year in the big events or else he could find himself slipping away from the top of the game. I like his chances this week and I expect him to be in the semi finals at least where he could face an interesting match with Fernando Verdasco. We should see a great match between Gilles Simon and Bernard Tomic early on. I reckon Tomic will have a good run in Australia but I don't think he will lift any titles. Andreas Seppi is a consistent player who is improving all the time and I think he will be tough to beat this week. I think the man to watch this week could be Grigor Dimitrov. I tipped him to have a good season a few weeks back and he started well last week and I think he will continue his form this week with another good run. I think John Isner will lift the crown this week and it could be Dimitrov that he defeats in the final. Isner is 5/1 for the title and that is as good a bet you will get all season. Dimitrov is 13/2 which could also be a very rewarding bets. Verdasco was on form last week in the Hopman Cup and if he carries that momentum over then the 12/1 price on him now could be worth a bet. My money is on the big serving American though.
In the women's event Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed and after winning last week will be full of confidence. She has the sort of draw that will suit her and I fancy her to at least make the semi finals. The dangers in her section could be Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova but I think she'll get past both. Youngster Christina McHale has been drawn against Na Li in round one and that is a potential upset. With Madison Keys and Sam Stosur also in that section, I don't see Na Li contending the crown this week despite her win last week. That being said if she hits top form she will be hard to beat. Sara Errani is a possible dark horse here as she looks to build on an impressive 2012 season. She's got a match with Maria Kirilenko to deal with early on and she might struggle with that. In the bottom section of this draw we have a very interesting match between Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber to look forward to. If both make the third round then they will meet and I think the winner of the event might just be in that match. Wozniacki is as big as 8/1 to win and that price could drop significantly once she starts winning her matches. I think she's in for a great year but I think she will fall just short this week. Kerber is 4/1 and that is very tempting despite her early loss last week. If you fancy Stosur you can get 13/2 and Na Li goes at 5/1. The likely winner for me is the top seed Radwanska. I could only see Kerber beating her unless Stosur shows us something different. Radwanska is as high as 2/1 and that's where my money lies this week.
Starting with the men's draw and the top seed for the event is John Isner who makes his debut on the tour this season. He faces some tricky matches and if he is to make a run here he will need to be on his game. Isner can often disappoint and I really think he has to show us what he is made of this year in the big events or else he could find himself slipping away from the top of the game. I like his chances this week and I expect him to be in the semi finals at least where he could face an interesting match with Fernando Verdasco. We should see a great match between Gilles Simon and Bernard Tomic early on. I reckon Tomic will have a good run in Australia but I don't think he will lift any titles. Andreas Seppi is a consistent player who is improving all the time and I think he will be tough to beat this week. I think the man to watch this week could be Grigor Dimitrov. I tipped him to have a good season a few weeks back and he started well last week and I think he will continue his form this week with another good run. I think John Isner will lift the crown this week and it could be Dimitrov that he defeats in the final. Isner is 5/1 for the title and that is as good a bet you will get all season. Dimitrov is 13/2 which could also be a very rewarding bets. Verdasco was on form last week in the Hopman Cup and if he carries that momentum over then the 12/1 price on him now could be worth a bet. My money is on the big serving American though.
In the women's event Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed and after winning last week will be full of confidence. She has the sort of draw that will suit her and I fancy her to at least make the semi finals. The dangers in her section could be Jelena Jankovic and Nadia Petrova but I think she'll get past both. Youngster Christina McHale has been drawn against Na Li in round one and that is a potential upset. With Madison Keys and Sam Stosur also in that section, I don't see Na Li contending the crown this week despite her win last week. That being said if she hits top form she will be hard to beat. Sara Errani is a possible dark horse here as she looks to build on an impressive 2012 season. She's got a match with Maria Kirilenko to deal with early on and she might struggle with that. In the bottom section of this draw we have a very interesting match between Caroline Wozniacki and Angelique Kerber to look forward to. If both make the third round then they will meet and I think the winner of the event might just be in that match. Wozniacki is as big as 8/1 to win and that price could drop significantly once she starts winning her matches. I think she's in for a great year but I think she will fall just short this week. Kerber is 4/1 and that is very tempting despite her early loss last week. If you fancy Stosur you can get 13/2 and Na Li goes at 5/1. The likely winner for me is the top seed Radwanska. I could only see Kerber beating her unless Stosur shows us something different. Radwanska is as high as 2/1 and that's where my money lies this week.
ATP & WTA Tour- Week 1 Review
The opening few weeks of the season are the toughest to predict with many players needing time to settle into their rhythm. My picks last week suffered badly from underperformances from players. I thought Milos Raonic might upset Andy Murray in Brisbane but he lost in the opening round to Grigor Dimitrov who lost to Murray in the final. David Ferrer was in good form in Doha but he ran into the resurgent Nikolay Davydenko who upset him in the semi finals. I picked Tomas Berdych in Chennai but he was very disappointing when losing to Roberto Bautista-Agut early on. In the women's events I was slightly more successful. Agnieszka Radwanska managed to win her event in Auckland and Na Li did win her event in Shenzhen. The only event I got wrong was in Brisbane where my pick, Victoria Azarenka, had to pull out before her semi final match with Serena Williams and Williams went on to win the title. So it was an average start to the year but let's see if we can't improve on those numbers in the coming weeks.
Getting back to last week thought and the performance of the week on the men's side had to be Nikolay Davydenko. He rolled back the years and looked in fantastic form throughout the week. He was taking the ball very early and dictating the points. He destroyed David Ferrer in the semis and looked certain to lift the title but for an inspired Richard Gasquet to steal the limelight. Gasquet himself had a very good week. He came from a break down in the final set against Zemlja and again against Davydenko when he was a set down. He was determined last week and had a consistency about his game that we don't normally see. The credit for that must go to his coach Riccardo Piatti who has worked wonders with the Frenchman since joining his camp. Grigor Dimitrov had a fantastic week too which ended in him reaching his first ATP final. Andy Murray was just too good for him on the day but we can expect a lot more appearances from the Bulgarian in the latter stages of tournaments in the future. Murray wasn't at his best this week but he always had enough to get the job done and will be looking forward to the Aussie Open. Janko Tipsarevic got his hands on the Chennai title, just twelve months after losing in a thrilling final. He was in good form throughout the week and done well to win.
Young Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova showed why many are tipping her to have a great future as she reached the final in Brisbane last week. She defeated Petra Kvitova and Angelique Kerber on her way to the final but the imperious Serena Williams was simply too powerful in the final. Victoria Azarenka was in great form but an infection halted her progress. Radwanska was also in great form as she cruised to the title in Auckland. Young Jamie Hampton was playing very well in Auckland and did manage to push Radwanksa to two tie breaks but she lacked the experience on the big points. Li Na made hard work of some matches on her run in Shenzhen but she will be happy with the title she picked up and will be hopeful of another Grand Slam when she makes the trip to Melbourne.
At the Hopman Cup, Bernard Tomic scored a massive win over Novak Djokovic but it wasn't enough to guide Australia to the final. Ana Ivanovic was in brilliant form as she won all but one of her singles matches. Unfortunately for her the one she lost was in the final and that allowed the surprise package of Fernando Verdasco and Anabel Medina-Garrigues to lift the title for Spain. Finally, Thanasi Kokkanakis made his debut for the USA when John Isner pulled out and the 16 year acquitted himself well as he pushed Verdasco hard in two sets.
Tuesday, 1 January 2013
ATP Doha & WTA Auckland
This week's ATP event in Doha suffered a massive loss last week when Rafa Nadal pulled out but there is still an attraction to this event because of the quality of field. In Auckland, the ladies event isn't the best quality but there are a number of interesting players who are more than capable of getting the win.
Top seed David Ferrer is fresh off the best season if his career and he should be looking to add to that this year. He didn't start well today but he got the job done and I would fancy seeing him in the final at least this week. Mikhail Youzhny or Nikolay Davydenko would be his semi final opponent but I don't see either of them beating Ferrer. Phillip Kohlschreiber is a dangerous player in the other half of the draw but I think Richard Gasquet will be the man to beat there. He may not have robbed headlines last year but he improved steadily throughout the year and is starting to add consistency to his game which is a frightening prospect. I think he will be in the final but I don't see him getting the better of Ferrer. Ferrer is 2/5 for the title which shows just how highly the bookies think of him.
In Auckland the women's event is a tough one to call. Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed and her consistent game could be enough to see her lift the crown. She is odds on favourite to win it but there are a few players more than capable of beating her. Second seed Julia Goerges is a player I like a lot but I don't know if she has the consistency to win through the full week. Mona Barthel is very capable of beating everyone in the field and the 4/1 offered on her might be worth a look here. I think Goerges is worth at least an each way bet at 8/1 but Radwanska has to be considered the best bet this week at 4/5.
Top seed David Ferrer is fresh off the best season if his career and he should be looking to add to that this year. He didn't start well today but he got the job done and I would fancy seeing him in the final at least this week. Mikhail Youzhny or Nikolay Davydenko would be his semi final opponent but I don't see either of them beating Ferrer. Phillip Kohlschreiber is a dangerous player in the other half of the draw but I think Richard Gasquet will be the man to beat there. He may not have robbed headlines last year but he improved steadily throughout the year and is starting to add consistency to his game which is a frightening prospect. I think he will be in the final but I don't see him getting the better of Ferrer. Ferrer is 2/5 for the title which shows just how highly the bookies think of him.
In Auckland the women's event is a tough one to call. Agnieszka Radwanska is the top seed and her consistent game could be enough to see her lift the crown. She is odds on favourite to win it but there are a few players more than capable of beating her. Second seed Julia Goerges is a player I like a lot but I don't know if she has the consistency to win through the full week. Mona Barthel is very capable of beating everyone in the field and the 4/1 offered on her might be worth a look here. I think Goerges is worth at least an each way bet at 8/1 but Radwanska has to be considered the best bet this week at 4/5.
ATP Chennai & WTA Shenzhen
The ATP event in Chennai this week has got some big hitters in it this week. Milos Raonic won a titanic tussle with Janko Tipsarevic in one of the games of the year last year but with Raonic not playing this year we will have a new champion. The WTA event in China this week doesn't have a strong field with many of the players ranked well outside the top twenty but there are some names in there to consider.
In Chennai the top seed is Tomas Berdych and he will see this as a great chance to gain some form and confidence ahead of the Aussie Open. Tipsarevic beat Murray last week in Abu Dhabi but then lost to Nicolas Almagro. He has a decent draw and should make the semi finals where I would expect him to meet Stan Wawrinka. I think Tipsy will be in better shape than Wawrinka at this stage of the season and I would expect him to reach another final in India. Marin Cilic has dropped away from the top ten massively after looking like banging down the door a few years back. A good start to the year would boost his confidence and might be exactly what he needs to get a good run going. I think he will be a semi finalist but I don't see him beating Berdych.
Although you can never just disregard a result I don't think Berdych's loss to Ferrer last week will be critical because Ferrer is somebody he always struggles with. The conditions were tough to play in that week and I expect him to be much better this week and I think that the 11/10 is a good price for him to take the title this week.
In Shenzhen, Na Li is the clear favourite in her home country. Laura Robson has already lost and I don't think Marion Bartoli is going to beat her. Peng Shuai is a possibility and she normally does play well against the big players but again, I just don't see it happening. It's a shame Jelena Jankovic pulled out because she is somebody who could disrupt the favourites. I'd expect a Bartoli-Li final and Li should come through to start the year in style.
In Chennai the top seed is Tomas Berdych and he will see this as a great chance to gain some form and confidence ahead of the Aussie Open. Tipsarevic beat Murray last week in Abu Dhabi but then lost to Nicolas Almagro. He has a decent draw and should make the semi finals where I would expect him to meet Stan Wawrinka. I think Tipsy will be in better shape than Wawrinka at this stage of the season and I would expect him to reach another final in India. Marin Cilic has dropped away from the top ten massively after looking like banging down the door a few years back. A good start to the year would boost his confidence and might be exactly what he needs to get a good run going. I think he will be a semi finalist but I don't see him beating Berdych.
Although you can never just disregard a result I don't think Berdych's loss to Ferrer last week will be critical because Ferrer is somebody he always struggles with. The conditions were tough to play in that week and I expect him to be much better this week and I think that the 11/10 is a good price for him to take the title this week.
In Shenzhen, Na Li is the clear favourite in her home country. Laura Robson has already lost and I don't think Marion Bartoli is going to beat her. Peng Shuai is a possibility and she normally does play well against the big players but again, I just don't see it happening. It's a shame Jelena Jankovic pulled out because she is somebody who could disrupt the favourites. I'd expect a Bartoli-Li final and Li should come through to start the year in style.
Brisbane Tennis- ATP & WTA
This week sees the tennis seasons start with a combined event in Brisbane, Australia. The ATP Tour event sees Andy Murray return to defend the title he won last year defeating Aleksandr Dolgopolov, who also returns this year. Milos Raonic won the title in Chennai last year in the opening week of the season but has chosen to play here this year and is the second seed. Crowd favourite, Lleyton Hewitt, will be hoping he can start the year in style with a title in front of his home fans. In contrast to the men's draw, the women's draw is filled with the top players of the game. Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams are the two favourites for the title but they will face stiff competition from players such as Angelique Kerber and Daniela Hantuchova. So who will be victorious come the weekend?
In the men's event Andy Murray has to be considered the favourite and rightly so. He is the best player in the draw and the draw has been favourable to him. Gilles Simon, Jurgen Melzer and Marcos Baghdatis have been drawn on the other side of the draw and that certainly helps Murray. Lleyton Hewitt would relish a crack at Murray in round three but I don't think he would have it in him to beat Murray, his game just doesn't suit. Kei Nishikori has a tricky tie against a resurgent Tommy Robredo but he will fancy his chances of making a semi final ahead of Dolgopolov. Nishikori is more than capable of beating Murray but again I think Murray will be too strong. The biggest threat this week could come from Milos Raonic. He would potentially have to beat Grigor Dimitrov, Melzer and Simon en route to the final but he should be confident of getting those results on this surface. His serve is a major weapon and he will take some stopping.
Murray is 4/5 to regain his crown and when you look at the draw you would pick Murray nine times out of ten but having watched him against Janko Tipsarevic last week I don't think he's into his stride yet and I think there is a chance Raonic could get a third win over Murray. He beat him comprehensively in Barcelona last year and came through a tight three setter in the final of Tokyo. I think he could be the one to beat this week and at 4/1 is my tip for the week.
In the women's draw it's hard to look away from Azarenka and Williams. Williams is the favourite in almost every event she plays and this week is no different. She sits at 4/5 for the crown but I don't see her winning titles this early in the season. I think she could take time to settle into the tour again and it might be the Australian Open before she hits her stride. Azarenka is a massive 3/1 for the title and that is where my money lies this week. She might have to beat Williams along the way but I would think she has done more work in the off season than Williams and that could be the difference. Azarenka was sensational at the beginning of last season and I think she will be the one to beat for quiet some time. Vika will have a tough tie against the talented German Sabine Lisicki but I do think she will come through it. Sloane Stephens is a dangerous young American and she will relish the opportunity to beat Williams should they meet in the quarter finals. Young Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has already beating Petra Kvitova and she has a meeting with Angelique Kerber to look forward to now. That is a mouthwatering encounter and I think the winner will be in the final come the weekend.
I don't see anybody outside of Azarenka or Williams winning this week unless someone like a Kerber or a Pavlyuchenkova causes some big upsets. I don't see that happening though and the 3/1 offered on Azarenka is very generous in my opinion.
In the men's event Andy Murray has to be considered the favourite and rightly so. He is the best player in the draw and the draw has been favourable to him. Gilles Simon, Jurgen Melzer and Marcos Baghdatis have been drawn on the other side of the draw and that certainly helps Murray. Lleyton Hewitt would relish a crack at Murray in round three but I don't think he would have it in him to beat Murray, his game just doesn't suit. Kei Nishikori has a tricky tie against a resurgent Tommy Robredo but he will fancy his chances of making a semi final ahead of Dolgopolov. Nishikori is more than capable of beating Murray but again I think Murray will be too strong. The biggest threat this week could come from Milos Raonic. He would potentially have to beat Grigor Dimitrov, Melzer and Simon en route to the final but he should be confident of getting those results on this surface. His serve is a major weapon and he will take some stopping.
Murray is 4/5 to regain his crown and when you look at the draw you would pick Murray nine times out of ten but having watched him against Janko Tipsarevic last week I don't think he's into his stride yet and I think there is a chance Raonic could get a third win over Murray. He beat him comprehensively in Barcelona last year and came through a tight three setter in the final of Tokyo. I think he could be the one to beat this week and at 4/1 is my tip for the week.
In the women's draw it's hard to look away from Azarenka and Williams. Williams is the favourite in almost every event she plays and this week is no different. She sits at 4/5 for the crown but I don't see her winning titles this early in the season. I think she could take time to settle into the tour again and it might be the Australian Open before she hits her stride. Azarenka is a massive 3/1 for the title and that is where my money lies this week. She might have to beat Williams along the way but I would think she has done more work in the off season than Williams and that could be the difference. Azarenka was sensational at the beginning of last season and I think she will be the one to beat for quiet some time. Vika will have a tough tie against the talented German Sabine Lisicki but I do think she will come through it. Sloane Stephens is a dangerous young American and she will relish the opportunity to beat Williams should they meet in the quarter finals. Young Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has already beating Petra Kvitova and she has a meeting with Angelique Kerber to look forward to now. That is a mouthwatering encounter and I think the winner will be in the final come the weekend.
I don't see anybody outside of Azarenka or Williams winning this week unless someone like a Kerber or a Pavlyuchenkova causes some big upsets. I don't see that happening though and the 3/1 offered on Azarenka is very generous in my opinion.
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