Without raffle the first racket
Typically, Grand Slam tournaments give several girls the opportunity to fight for the title of the first racket of the world. But at the current Australian Open, this issue will not be discussed. Ashley Barty was far enough away from her rivals in the WTA ranking, and even before the start of the tournament in Melbourne she continued to gain points in Adelaide, winning her eighth title. She will have to defend not so many points, since a year ago at home major Barty reached only the quarter-finals.
But within the first ten, everything can change dramatically. The second racket of the world will be one of seven girls. In addition to Carolina Plishkova, already occupying this position, the list includes Simone Halep, Elina Svitolina, Belinda Bencic, Serena Williams, Kiki Bertens and only last but not least, the current Australian Open champion Naomi Osaka. Because of the need to protect more than all points, it will be especially difficult for her - only reaching the final will help at least maintain the already existing fourth line.
The absence of Andreescu
For the first time since Wimbledon in 2017 at the Grand Slam tournament, the entire first eight WTA hollow rankings will not play. In Melbourne, the current US Open champion Bianca Andreescu, who misses the second of the last three majors, will be greatly missed. Canadian tennis player still has not recovered from a knee injury last season. Andreescu had already healed her, but she still needed time for a full recovery.
The sixth racket of the world at least does not have to lose a lot of points because of its pass. Ideally, it can even rise to fourth place in the WTA ranking if the main rivals begin to play together in the first rounds.
Serena Training
Serena Williams continues to try to repeat Margaret Court's record for the most titles in Grand Slam tournaments. Almost three years have passed since she won the 23rd victory, and since then the American has reached the Wimbledon and US Open finals four times, but has been defeated.
One of the reasons why the ex-first racket of the world passed at a decisive moment, tennis experts unanimously called the lack of practice. For two and a half years, Williams has claimed only the most significant tournaments, ignoring almost everyone else, while younger rivals have gained form through constant games.
This year, Williams has changed tactics. She began the season with a performance at the WTA lower category tournament in Auckland, although she previously preferred not to play in front of majors. The American won without much difficulty, as she met only one opponent from the top 70 of the world ranking, and earned ridiculous $ 43 thousand for her status - large sums are reckoned for participating in the first round of the Australian Open. But the main thing is that Williams felt the taste of tennis, which she herself had previously refused, and now her chances of winning in Melbourne will be higher.
Favorites
As befits the first racket of the world, it was Ashley Barty who is the main favorite of the Australian Open. The unfortunate defeat of Jennifer Brady in the first match of the season, she eclipsed a convincing victory in Adelaide. In the absence of a number of top players, it was the Australian who reached the final and defeated Dayana Yastremskaya there.
For Barty, this victory was of great psychological importance - before she lost all the time in the finals of home tournaments. Now this unsuccessful statistics has come to an end, and she is ready to storm the Australian Open. True, already in the third round she may get one of the main rising tennis stars - Kazakhstani Ekaterina Rybakina. Two days before the start of the Australian Open, she also won the title, only at a less prestigious tournament in Hobart.
Carolina Plishkova is second in the list of seeded tournaments in Melbourne, and her chances of winning her first Grand Slam tournament are now as high as ever. She won the main tournament of the first two weeks of the new season in Brisbane, defeating, among others, Naomi Osaku and Madison Keys. The ex-first racket of the world traditionally performs well in the Australian Open and has not flown before the quarterfinals of the past three years.
True, with a draw she was less fortunate than many other favorites. Plishkova will have to start the tournament with a match with Kristina Mladenovich, and then meetings with Laura Siegemund and Coco Vandevei are possible. But if the Czech woman can withstand the difficult schedule of the first days, then the road to the quarter-finals with Elina Svitolina is almost open.
Farewell to Wozniacki
The Australian Open will be the last tournament in the Danish career Caroline Wozniacki. The former first racket of the world to own this title for 71 weeks last year announced that she would quit the sport right after completing the only major she won.
Wozniacki is still in good shape - she is ranked 35th in the WTA ranking, and this season began with reaching the semi-finals of the tournament in Auckland, according to which she could even be seeded at the Australian Open. But a 29-year-old tennis player a month ago firmly decided to radically change her field of activity.
The first Danish match in Melbourne will be against American Christie An, after which the 23rd seeded Dayana Yastremskaya from Ukraine can play with her. For the entire tennis community, Wozniacki’s departure will be a big event - she had many personal fans, loved by her not only for the results, but also for her bright court behavior and sharp comments.
Chances of Russians
The representation of Russia in the Australian Open women's net is traditionally large - 12 tennis players made it to the main net by rating, through qualification or using a wild card. But none of them is a real favorite in the fight for the title, and even reaching the quarterfinals of at least one athlete will be a sensation.
Perhaps, Ekaterina Alexandrova has the most chances for this. She started the new season with a victory at the tournament in Shenzhen, and taking into account last year, her unbeaten run at the moment is ten matches. Alexandrova is now the first racket of Russia and Melbourne will perform with the 25th sowing number. In the first round, Swiss Yil Taykhman is waiting for her, and in the third, a Russian woman can meet with Petra Kvitova.
The second seeded tennis player from Russia will be Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, who started the season not so successfully - with two losses in three matches. Due to the rating, she managed to get the 30th seeding number and even a completely passable opponent in the 1/64 final in the person of Nina Stoyanovich. But the chances of repeating last year’s quarter-finals are rapidly disappearing due to a potential meeting with Karolina Plishkova in the third round.
Not only for Carolina Wozniacki, the current Australian Open may be the last. It is possible that Maria Sharapova will no longer perform at the Grand Slam tournaments. She has long been unable to qualify for the main grid by rating, but in Melbourne she received a personal invitation. True, to start the ex-first racket of the world will have a match with Donna Vekic, having the 19th seeding number. If Sharapova does not protect points earned for reaching the fourth round, then it may be at the end of the second hundred of the WTA rating. It will be very difficult for her to get a wild card for Roland-Garros.
In the early days of the Australian Open, many Russian tennis players can count on getting to the main courts, but this will not happen thanks to their own game, but because of rivals. Many of them already in the first round got seeded opponents. Anastasia Potapova was especially unlucky - Serena Williams will measure her strength. Daria Kasatkina will cross the rackets with Madison Keys, Margarita Gasparyan will meet with Maria Sakkari, Svetlana Kuznetsova will play with Marketa Vondroushova, and Vitaly Dyachenko with Daniel Collins.