Australian Open 2014: Experts' picks for the women's draw

3. Dangerous floater

Venus Williams

Abhishek Desikan: The young Romanian Sorana Cirstea was a quarterfinalist at Roland Garros and has reached the final of the Rogers Cup in the past. She could do some damage at the Open this year.

Adnan Akhtar: With a title in Sydney making her the first qualifier to win a Premier title since 2010, Tsvetana Pironkova would be my choice for the dangerous floater. Having already reached a Grand Slam semifinal in 2010, the Bulgarian knows how to counter opponents on the big stage and would be a tricky opponent for any player.

Avantika Tikmany: Having been anointed the ‘Emerging Player of the Year’ on the women’s circuit, Eugenie Bouchard could prove dangerous, even if she faces Sara Errani in the third round, as is likely.

BallnRacquet: Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova has been a Slam semifinalist earlier but not at the Australian Open. This is a different turf. She displayed some good tennis as she progressed from the qualifying draw to clinch her first ever WTA title at the the Australian Open warm-up event in Sydney. This time around, she is entering the draw with high chances of causing an upset or two.

Musab Abid: Remember Vera Zvonareva? The Russian is making a comeback to the tour after almost a year and a half, and while she is bound to be rusty, her section of the draw is not the most loaded. I wouldn’t be surprised if she knocked out a seed or two on her way to the fourth round (or beyond).

Roh: Seven-time Major winner Venus Williams finds herself unseeded for this year’s Australian Open. She’s had a strong start to the season, making the run-up to the finals in the ASB Classic at Auckland. The former Australian Open finalist could cause an upset or two, and is as dangerous a floater as a dangerous floater can possibly be.

Varun Jog: Venus Williams may not have had quite the same level of success as her younger sister but write her off at your own peril. She reached the final last week in Auckland and in what could be her last Australian Open, will be motivated to put in a strong performance at a venue where she hasn’t had her best results.