The Australian Open is less than 24 hours away and it is time for me to preview the Women's Draw of the Australian Open. I will list 10 things for tennis fans to look for as they watch the Women's Draw unfold.
1. Look For Chaos:
While I think the very top players will be safe, there will be a ton of unexpected things happening to players ranked outside the top four. Nobody is safe from an upset in the WTA with how fluid and inconsistent it can be. There will likely be at least a couple of surprise players that get to at least the Quarterfinals if not further.
2. Serena Williams Will Easily Reach The Final:
The #1 seed Serena Williams has such an easy draw to the Final it's not even funny. The only players that are a threat to her in her half of the draw aren't even really threats! Against #6 Petra Kvitova, Serena Williams is 5-0 all time; against #4 seeded Na Li, Serena Williams is 10-1 all time; and against #7 seeded Sara Errani, Serena Williams is 6-0 all time. That's a combined record of 21-1! If Serena Williams doesn't reach the Final, it will be due to a huge upset.
3. Keep An Eye On Sorana Cirstea:
Sorana Cirstea started outside the top 60 in 2013 and finished in the top 25. She made tremendous strides in 2013 and fortunately for her, she has a really nice draw until she gets to the Quarterfinals to face the #3 seed Maria Sharapova. She's only faced Sharapova once, but the time they faced, Sharapova won handily, so I don't see Cirstea getting beyond the Quarterfinals if all goes according to form. With that being said, it is entirely possible that she doesn't even half to face Sharapova due to an upset, which would then really open the window for her to make a deep run.
4. Samantha Stosur Will Blow Up, But I Can't Predict When It Will Happen:
On paper, Samantha Stosur should be able to reach the Round of 16 and maybe threaten Serena Williams, but if history tells us anything, she'll burn out way earlier than that. Stosur mentally hasn't been able to handle the pressures of the Australian Open, which is played in front of her home crowd. Typically Australians love to play in front of their home fans, but in Stosur's case it seems to be a bad thing. I wish her the best of luck and hope she can find a way to break free of her mental block down under.
5. Sloane Stephens Has A Chance To Go All The Way If She Gets Passed Victoria Azarenka:
Sloane Stephens and Victoria Azarenka are scheduled to meet in the round of 16. Azarenka beat Stephens handily in their only meeting back in 2013, but Stephens continues to improve and will be tougher this season. She especially gets up for the grand slams. If she finds a way to squeak past Azarenka, I could easily see her getting past Agnieszka Radwanska and Maria Sharapova to reach the Final.
6. Will Na Li Be A Contender?
I ask this as a question because she has made a deep run down under before and likes the Aussie crowd. But with Serena Williams in her half of the draw, I don't see her getting back to the Finals. That being said, if Serena Williams were to somehow lose early on, Na Li would be my pick to come out of that half of the draw.
7. Can Sabine Lisicki Make A Run On A Surface Other Than Grass?
We all know Sabine Lisicki is a threat at Wimbledon, but she hasn't really seemed to make the next jump to becoming a threat at slam not called Wimbledon. I like Sabine's game a lot and she has a ton of confidence in her game on the grass. It'll be interesting if she carries that swagger into this hard court slam and makes a deep run. She has the game to definitely do it with her hard serve and overall aggression.
8. Petra Kvitova Will Disappoint:
I've always felt like Petra Kvitova was a "one-slam wonder" in the sense that after winning Wimbledon back in 2011, I didn't think she'd win a slam again. She isn't the fastest moving player on the court, and while she has power and has the ability to be tricky due to her left handed play, I don't see enough aggression in her game to go out and win multiple slams. I expect Kvitova to have another disappointing grand slam relative to her expectations, and go out in the Quarterfinals.
9. Don't Write Off Agnieszka Radwanksa:
Even though Radwanska plays conservative tennis and isn't one of the hard hitters on the WTA tour, her style of play could maybe win a grand slam if the seas parted for her. Should Serena Williams fail to reach the Final along with a Sloane Stephens upset of Victoria Azarenka, an Agnieszka Radwanska grand slam title down under suddenly would look very possible due to her consistent play.
10. Look For A Tough Final Between Victoria Azarenka and Serena Williams With Serena Williams Winning:
Just like the Men's draw, I expect the #1 and #2 seeds to make it to the Final. I think Azarenka is the only serious threat to Williams and vice versa. I expect their match to be long, intense, and dramatic with Serena Williams winning in three tight sets!
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @atp_guy
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