Australian Open 2013: Expert picks for the women's draw

The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2013 Australian Open by making picks for the women in 4 categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.

Dark horse

Haresh Ramchandani: Can a former Grand Slam champion really be a dark horse? Given that she won her only Grand Slam two years ago and has failed to reach the same heights again, let’s put China’s Li Na in here. Na won a WTA event in China in the first week of the season and reached the semifinals of the Sydney tournament. Her game has grown in confidence since hoking up with Carlos Rodriguez, former coach of Justine Henin. A first title in Australia suddenly does not look out of reach.

Jaideep: I’m going to pick Ana Ivanovic. This has got more to do with the draw than anything else (she is not slated to become fodder for Serena Williams until the finals). Her path until the fourth round seems pretty straightforward (she leads Jelena Jankovic 7-3) and if she can pull off the match against Radwanska, she will fancy her chances. While she is not the same player as she was in 2008, she has had a few decent results at the Hopman Cup and could just add to her Grand Slam tally (read Serena Williams is abducted by aliens).

Anand Datla: With a little bit of luck, Agnieszka Radwanska could make a run for it this year. The lady has the tools needed to make it deep into the tournament and might just snap her sub-par run in Melbourne.

Roh: The ‘other’ American in the draw, Sloane Stephens has emerged from the shadows of the Williams sisters and has continued to etch her own persona. She’ll be the lady to watch out for in the 101st edition of the Slam Down Under.

Sriram Ilango: I will go with Li Na. Yes, she has been out of form ever since her 2011 French Open triumph, but after partnering with Justine Henin’s former coach Carlos Rodriguez, her mentality has changed. She was victorious in the Shenzhen Open which took place in the first week of January and she is looking good. I wouldn’t be surprised if she makes huge strides in Melbourne this year.

Musab Abid: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has been taking her own sweet time to fulfill her obvious potential, but her horrid sophomore slump finally seems to be getting over. Her run to the Brisbane final was impressive, which, combined with the fact that she’s in a relatively soft spot in the draw, might help her quietly put together a strong run this year.

Early exit

Haresh Ramchandani: It’s hard to pick between Petra Kvitova and Caroline Wonziacki here. At last year’s event, Wozniacki was ranked No. 1, with Kvitova sniping at her heels. This year, Wozniacki is down to No. 10 in the rankings and Kvitova to No. 8. Both come into Melbourne on the back of successive early losses in Brisbane and Sydney. And both face dangerous first round opponents. Kvitova gets former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone first up while Wozniacki gets the big-serving German Sabine Lisicki. Lisikci played World no. 1 Victoria Azarenka close in a striaght sets loss in Brisbane last week and if she is healthy, she can certainly beat Wozniacki.

Jaideep: Caroline Wozniacki entered last year’s Australian Open as the top seed and has dropped 9 places ever since. While it was all sunshine on the romantic front (Rory McIlroy), it was a rather disappointing 2012 on the tennis court with 1st round exits at both Wimbledon and the US Open. She is now drawn to play 37th-ranked German Sabine Lisicki in the opener. This will certainly be the most exciting first round meetup of the tournament and the most likely match to witness an upset.

Anand Datla: You do not have look too far to figure this one – Caroline Wozniacki is taking on Sabine Lisicki in the first round, and a loss for the Dane would not be entirely out of character. Another probable candidate is the fan favourite Sam Stosur who looks to have lost some of her steely determination and the hunger to sustain her late blooming success.

Roh: Caroline Wozniacki, seeded ninth and pitted against unseeded German Lisicki in the first round, and Sara Errani, seeded seventh with a potential third round encounter against Russian Kuznetsova, are the seeds that could be upset in the earliest possible rounds.

Sriram Ilango: This time last year, Petra Kvitova was supposed to be the next big thing in women’s tennis. But now things are looking very bleak for her. Apart from her, Ana Ivanovic and Sam Stosur too seem like strong candidates for crashing out early.

Musab Abid: Samantha Stosur has never liked playing in Melbourne. The dreaded Australian heat has nothing on her, but she has frequently wilted under the burden of expectations and pressure from her adoring home fans. There’s no reason to suspect this year will be much different.

Dangerous floater

Haresh Ramchandani: Svetlana Kuznetsova, a two-time former Grand Slam champion, is now down to the 70′s in the rankings after an injury-plagued 2012 season. But the Russian did well to qualify for the Sydney event before taking out a couple of big names including Wozniacki to reach the quarters. Kuzzy is one of those players that make you scratch their head – anyone so talented and athletic should have done a lot better for themselves in the sport. But the Russian is known for her peaks and troughs. Methinks it’s time for her graph to start rising again in 2013.

Jaideep: While Sabine Lisicki did reach her career-best ranking of No. 12 last May, the rest of her 2012 was undone by injuries, which saw her finishing 37th. She has reached the semifinals of a Grand Slam before (Wimbledon, 2011) and reached the 4th round here last year, so she is no stranger to big occasions. If she gets past her first round opponent, expect her to go deep into the draw.

Anand Datla: Got to pick Venus Williams for this one, now that the days of picking her as a favorite are done. The veteran could surprise herself this month, if her body can sing with her mind for a little bit.

Roh: Both Svetlana Kuznetsova and Sabine Lisicki are good choices here. If Kuznetsova conquers her personal demons, she does have the ability to take on the big guns and as far as Lisicki is concerned, the German does have the game to take it to the crowd favourites and cause unexpected derailments in the proceedings.

Sriram Ilango: Sabine Lisicki is my pick here. She was a Wimbledon semifinalist only a year ago and she pushed Maria Sharapova to the brink last year at the Australian Open. Apart from her, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova too could cause an upset or two.

Musab Abid: There has been a lot to like about Laura Robson over the last 6 months, and it actually comes as a surprise that she’s not seeded at this tournament. The highest seed in her quarter is the allergy-besieged Petra Kvitova, so a run to the semis is not completely out of the question.

Champion

Haresh Ramchandani: I’m going to go against all logic and not pick Serena Williams. Serena is undoubtedly playing the best tennis of anyone these days. But I’m predicting that the law of averages will catch up with her. Take Serena out and there are two women I see with a possible title in their hands in two weeks – World No. 4 Agnieszka Radwanska, who has started the season with a 9-0 record and two titles, and top-seeded defending champion Victoria Azarenka. At the US Open, Azarenka showed that she is almost as good as a 15-time Slam champion, and I think she is ready to win her second Major title.

Jaideep: Serena Williams is clearly the most dominating player in women’s tennis today no matter how many titles the others pile up while she is out promoting her clothing line. Especially after 2012, when she seemed to have rekindled her love for the game, it’s difficult to predict anyone else to take home the trophy.

Anand Datla: The women’s game has been plagued by inconsistency at the top, but the one woman for whom rankings do not exist is Serena Williams. Etch her name on the trophy and you could go home early. At her age, nothing really matters beyond the Grand Slams, and when Serena sets her mind to it there is a not a woman on the planet that can survive her power and passion.

Roh: Serena Williams. Her start to the season has been picture-perfect this far and come the Slams, Serena’s performances only grow in intensity. Bidding for her sixth Australian Open title, Serena Williams will be the player to beat, no matter what the rankings might say.

Sriram Ilango: Do we really need to argue about the favorite to win the title? It is obviously a fight between the rest of the world and Serena Williams. No sane man would bet against Serena Williams.

Musab Abid: Serena Williams. Enough said.