The Official 2009 Australian Open Thread

[crowsarethebest]

Well might as well get it started, Qualifying has already started on Wednesday. The draw was done this morning... and some very interesting match ups. Nadal is on the same section as Murray, Federer is with Djokovic. The pick of first round matches- Gonzalez vs Hewitt. Can you believe it. If Hewitt gets through to the 3rd, he plays Gasquet who's in pretty good form. In the 4th he could potentially meet Nadal.


3rd round another potential match up is Safin/Federer.

 

[Rick18]

Well might as well get it started, Qualifying has already started on Wednesday. The draw was done this morning... and some very interesting match ups. Nadal is on the same section as Murray, Federer is with Djokovic. The pick of first round matches- Gonzalez vs Hewitt. Can you believe it. If Hewitt gets through to the 3rd, he plays Gasquet who's in pretty good form. In the 4th he could potentially meet Nadal.


3rd round another potential match up is Safin/Federer.

Gonzalez v Hewitt!

 

[crowsarethebest]

Yeah it's going to be an absolute stormer that one. Might get put on Rod Laver that one. Another one to watch would be Gulbis vs Blake 3rd round- who can pull the trigger first.

 

[Kaan]

Hmm Hewitt has a VERY hard draw. Gonzalez taking on Hewitt on a night game at Rod Laver arena would be very tough. I reckon Hewitt will make it to fourth round beating Gonzalez, Canas then Gasquet but lose to Nadal.

Fed wouldn't be happy to be vs Safin in round 3 IMO if Safin wakes up on the right side..

 

[Whiskers]

When does the schedule get released?

 

[Giants FC]

Sunday evening, it should be on the Australian Open website about 6:00. Same for future days, it's usually up by around 6:00 the night before.

Does anyone happen to know what the threshold is for the extreme heat rule to apply?
I see they've forecast 35 degrees for Monday, when I'll be there during the day. If the outside courts are likely to be postponed, it could be worth paying the extra to get a Rod Laver or Hisense ticket...

 

[damochandler]

i reckon hewitt will be knocked out in the first round, this gonzales is no mug and hewitt is on the decline. he will probably blame the draw for the loss like he did with the court when he got beaten.

nadal v federer final for mine and the ninja turtle will win

 

[Drummond]

Gonzalez v Hewitt should be an absolute belter and it’s a shame it’s a first round match considering both are finalists in Melbourne. You would give the edge to Gonzo however Hewitt is in decent form and always seems to perform at his home slam. And I might be the only one but I always feel as though Gonzo is beatable and he's pretty overrated. Kiefer v Canas should also be good entertaining and quite a lengthy match.

Looking at the seeds…

Federer on paper appears to have a reasonably tough draw. First up he faces Seppi, then in the 3rd round he should face Safin. His Swiss teammate Wawrinka awaits in the 4th round and the red hot Juan Martin Del Potro looms in the Quarters.

Nadal has a bit of a cakewalk until the Quarters Finals. Assuming Gonzalez wins they’ll meet in the 4th round which could be tough for Nadal. Monfils/Simon could be his Quarter final opponents but I see him lasting until Murray in the SF.

As for the women, interesting first round match of Hantuchova and Dellacqua. They both had great success here last year so one will take a plummet in the rankings. Azarenka is in great form having won her first title in Brisbane and she’ll face another in form opponent in Petra Kvitova. Jelena Dokic has a very winnable first up encounter with Tamira Paszek. Paszek has lost her way after making a charge up the rankings a year or two back. Wozniacki v Peer is another beauty of a first round match.

Venus Williams appears to have one of the easiest draws imaginable and will make the Semi’s if she’s playing at a decent level. Ivanovic will face Wozniacki in the 4th round and if she progresses will face Safina in the Quarters. That’s as far as she can hope to go here given her form. Once again Jankovic has an easy draw and should make the Semis.

 

[matt_897]

Sunday evening, it should be on the Australian Open website about 6:00. Same for future days, it's usually up by around 6:00 the night before.

Does anyone happen to know what the threshold is for the extreme heat rule to apply?
I see they've forecast 35 degrees for Monday, when I'll be there during the day. If the outside courts are likely to be postponed, it could be worth paying the extra to get a Rod Laver or Hisense ticket...

It's been up on saturday night before as well, doesn't really matter anyway.

Last year there was one day where it got to around 35 degrees or close to it and there wasn't any delay. It also depends on the humidity and that day wasn't very humid. You should be right, if play is delayed, it shouldn't be too long. Hopefully it doesn't get to 42 or something like that.

 

[Alex99]

I will back Lleyton in to win this one. He wins more than he losses when it comes down to old fashion G & D and hopefully channel 7 ask for it be one of the night match on Rod Laver Arena.

I would also love to see Tomic pull a Mark Philippoussis and knock of a seeded player out. I forgot he was only 19 when he beat Pete Sampras at the Aust. open all those years ago - hopefully we can have another memoriable moment from another young Aussie.

 

[Drummond]

It's been up on saturday night before as well, doesn't really matter anyway.

Last year there was one day where it got to around 35 degrees or close to it and there wasn't any delay. It also depends on the humidity and that day wasn't very humid. You should be right, if play is delayed, it shouldn't be too long. Hopefully it doesn't get to 42 or something like that.

It better not get too hot, I absolutely cannot stand hot weather. Last year was absolutely brilliant as I don’t think one day got above 30 in the first week. This year looks pretty dodgy, two days of extreme heat in the first week so far. That’s a fair way off though so I guess it could change, hopefully for the better. They normally don't start the day with the roof closed in RLA/Hisense but after the completion of the first match if it gets too hot then they'll close it for the players sake. If it's ridiculously hot I won't be sitting in the sun, I'll be doing whatever I can to seek the shade, even if it means just sitting in Garden Square.

And yes you're right, the schedule for the first day is normally released on Saturday night.

 

[Alex99]

You in Melb Drumm? cool stuff

Nightly updates on the crows board then.. .okthks.

 

[eze1]

And yes you're right, the schedule for the first day is normally released on Saturday night.

Hi

Is there any way to at least know which half of the mens draw will be playing on monday and which on tuesday. Becuase I am interesting in going to the first round matches for the lower half of the draw ( Federer, Djokovic, del Potro, Nalbandian, Roddick) and I am planning to take the day off from work, and I would like to know as soon as possible to plan better the day and try to get some tickets for the Hisense arena

Thanks for your help
Cheers

Eze

 

[Roobs321]

AUSTRALIAN OPEN DRAW: THE AUSSIE MALES
HEWITT has a very tricky draw.
Gonzalez in 1st round is quite rough. Then canas or Keifer in 2nd. Likely 3rd round would be Gasquet, and then Top seed Nadal likely in the 4th.
Each match there is dangerous, its a hard draw, especially Nadal. i see him somehow beating gonzalez in 5 sets. Another epic win over Keifer. And then rolled by Gasquet.

GUCCIONE has an Ok one. He faces frenchman Devilder in the 1st round, currently ranked No.70. But if he wins that he has a 2nd round appointment awaits with Sixth Seed Simon. If he somehow survived that(Simon has a poor Slam record), he'd likely face the croats in Karlovic & Ancic, both similar, yet better players. Beyond that only Monfils & Youzhny pose a threat to go deep. Guccione is in the same quarter as hewitt, and has an OK draw, providing he can upset Simon.
But realistically, he'll lose to Simon in the 2nd, and if get past him, be 7-6 7-6 7-6'd by a tall croat.
Gucc's doubles partner, Carsten BALL has a qualifier in the 1st round, and likely Stepanek in the 2nd round. Verdasco in the 3rd.
21yo GROTH plays Fish in the 1st round. by the 3rd round there is Soderling & Baghdatis waiting. Djokovic in the 4th. Will lose to Fish.
young prodigy TOMIC has a soft draw. Starace in the 1st round is winnable, followed by spaniard Lopez in the 2nd round, a hard ask. Del Potro awaits in the 3rd. But if he can survive Del potro, the 4th looks alright, with only Cilic, ferrer & Tipsarevic of note. Tomic has a chance here, but realistically, i see him losing in 5 sets to lopez. but good luck to him.
Brydan KLEIN has a qualifier in the 1st round, so NO EXCUSE there. Its a good chance to get to the 2nd, where swiss Wawrinka awaits. Berdych in the 3rd, Federer in the 4th.
Knowing Klein, may lose to bloody qualifier, but i can see him upseting wawrinka.
overall, a VERY favourable draw for the aussies. Hewitt actually got the worst imo.
other notable possible match-ups.
Federer may have Moya in 2nd, SAFIN in the 3rd
Roddick vs Kolschreiber in the 3rd round, just like 2008.
Stepanek vs Verdasco, the Brisbane final, could happen again in the 3rd round
Young guns Cilic & Gulbis both have light draws.

 

[Drummond]

Womens Preview:

The contenders:

• Jankovic: Once again Jankovic has an easy draw and should coast through to the Quarters were she should meet Zvonareva who is a very dangerous opponent. She has been ill lately, not surprising that there's something wrong with this drama queen. However despite the illness I don’t think there are any opponents to send her packing early, although Sugiyama could present a challenge. I predict a SF loss, a repeat of last year.

• Safina: She’s probably the most in form player on tour and I expect her to come away victorious in Melbourne. Just striking the ball so cleanly and can outhit any opponent. Has improved her temperament and is in the best shape of her career.

• Venus Williams: Has a cakewalk draw with not a single player that should pose a challenge until the Semi Finals. Pennetta at #12 is the highest seed in her quarter and she won’t scare Venus. Her draw will enable her to gain form and she could finally go all the way in Melbourne.

• Dementieva: She too is in fine form, had a great 2008 and has started strongly with tournament wins in Auckland and Sydney. Has always had Slam winning potential, just the serve and nerves prevented her from doing so. Now could finally be her time as she is playing with great confidence and knows that at her best she can beat anyone on tour.

• Serena Williams: Always a contender, especially in Australia, and she got the match practice she was after in Sydney. Has a relatively easy draw until the 4th round where she'll face in form gun youngster Victoria Azarenka. Vika has failed to record a real big win at a Slam but the stage could be set for her by this time. One thing is for certain though, if Serena has survived the first week she'll be awfully hard to stop.

Seeds to fall early:

• Ivanovic: Pains me to say it but I see an early exit for last year’s finalist. She has an easy first few matches but I expect Caroline Wozniacki to knock her off in the 4th. Does that constitute an early exit? Probably not, but regardless I can’t see her making too much of an impact here.

• Bammer: Faces Safarova first up who is one of the more dangerous unseeded players in the draw. Safarova looked good in Brisbane and has had success here in the past and Bammer is a weak seed.

• Alona Bondarenko: Vaidisova is no longer ranked high enough to be seeded and therefore she’s a dangerous floater. Her form has been horrendous for the past 12 months but she seems to lift at the slams and could meet Bondarenko in the second round should she beat Bremond first up.

• Wozniak. No i, just Wozniack. She will lose to Sabine Lisicki in the first round who is good enough to be seeded and will be in 12 months time.

Potential bolters:

• Pironkova: A talented all-court player who has had a solid start to 2009. She’s got a reasonable draw with Bartoli her likely 2nd round opponent who she could get past if good enough.

• Kvitova: She faces Azarenka first up in what will most likely be the end of her tournament, thus making me look foolish. However, this young Czech is a very talented player and an excellent ball striker. Caused Ivanovic troubles in Brisbane and did well in Hobart. If she overcomes Azarenka which is unlikely, she will cause some serious damage.

• Gajdosova: More than just the Aussie watch for Jarmila. Played well in the warm-up tournaments and should get past Razzano first up and then has to deal with Schnyder who while successful in Melbourne could struggle against the power of Gajdosova. Has been on the tour for a while but is extremely talented, in great shape and has a great deal of power off both wings.

• Cirstea: Was blasted off the court by Safina in her only singles match of 2009 which could be a worry but gained good match practice through 2 lengthy doubles games. Faces an in form Czink first up but a very winnable match and then will face Jie Zheng who is a one Slam wonder at this stage.

• Vesnina: This young Russian has made a solid start to the new year and being an unseeded player she must be pleased with her draw. Faces another toung unseeded player in Julia Coin first up but should she win she would then meet Medina Garrigues who is good but very beatable. If she finds form she could easily make the 4th round.

Aussie Watch:

• Dokic: Faces Tamira Paszek first up and she has a real shot at victory. Paszek is talented but has been wayward for the past 12 months and Dokic at her best, which we saw glimpses of in Brisbane, will win. Chakvetadze 2nd round opponent which would be tough but she too has had her struggles of late. As sad as it may sound, Dokic is our best chances of any form of success here.

• Moore: Battle of the wildcards as she faces American Christina McHale in a very winnable match. Good news for Jess who has been nothing short of disastrous so far this year and with the crowd support and knowing she’s got points to defend I’ll give her the edge. Pennetta awaits next who should prove too tough.

• Wejnert: While she’s facing an unseeded player, she’s facing a very good one in Karin Knapp who is tall, powerful and has achieved some good results at the Slams. Tough Slam debut for Monica but a great experience nonetheless.

• Dellacqua: Casey faces Daniela Hantuchova in the first round and one thing is for certain, someone stands to take quite a fall in the rankings. Casey has been nothing short of appalling so far in 2009 whereas Hantuchova has also struggled but played reasonable in Sydney. Expect Hantuchova to progress in 3.

Others:

Olivia Rogowska AUS v Alona Bondarenko UKR (31)
Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (8) v Anastasia Rodionova AUS
Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP (21) v Isabella Holland AUS

Prediction:

Safina def S.Williams

I've put money down on Safina to win but after seeing her lose to Dementieva maybe I should have backed Serena. As I said above, if Serena is through to the second week you could almost hand her the trophy. The most mentally tough player on tour with obviously the game to match. Safina endured an incredibly successful 2008 and has started well with a runners up performance in Sydney. She has a dreadful record in Melbourne and hasn't reached the 4th round but playing her best tennis and with the power to overcome anyone, I have a feeling she'll get her breakthrough.

 

[crowsarethebest]

I think Hewitt will win, in 5. That's my prediction. 2 Recent Aussie Open finalists going at it in the first round isn't that common, will be a great match to watch. I can't see many Aussie's doing that well, Tomic won't win. He wasn't even that great in the futures/challengers he played earlier in the year- yeah he did alright against Verdasco losing 2/4 but this is best of 3 sets, his fitness won't hold up.

 

[Selective Retention]

Hewitt's draw is not as horrific as people are making out. Unseeded he could have drawn a dozen or more guys better than Gonzalez. Canas/Keifer ho hum, Gasquet run of the mill third round grand slam opponent, and meeting a top class player in the round of 16 like Rafa you've got to expect at that stage of the tournament. If Hewitt wants to get back into the top 20 he should still be getting to the 4th round with that draw.

 

[Funkalicous]

Nice preview, Drummond.

Overall I think the Aussies have a pretty good draw, including Hewitt. I was hoping Lleyton would get a seeded player outside the top 10. - It means he wouldn't have to play another seeded player until the 3rd round. Even then, it's only Gasquet.

Hopefully one of the youngsters can make an impression. Tomic, Klein, Wejnert and Moore all have very winnable games. Shame about Rogowska, but you can't win them all... At least she's not playing a Serena Williams type.

Surely the Gooch will make the 2nd round this year. He'll need to badly as his ranking is now down to 132.

Can't wait until it starts. I'm extremely happy the Foxtel get to show some matches too.

 

[Drummond]

So glad I've got Hisense Arena tickets this year. 4 matches v 3, and the matches are far better. Ivanovic, you beauty! Honestly thought she would be a certainty for RLA but selfishly I'm glad her ranking has fallen a bit. And also get to see Dokic, as well as the exciting Del Potro and Safin.

Day 1 Schedule:

> Rod Laver Arena - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Andy Roddick(USA)[7] vs. Bjorn Rehnquist(SWE)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[1] vs. Yvonne Meusburger(AUT)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Andrea Stoppini(ITA) vs. Novak Djokovic(SRB)[3]

> Rod Laver Arena - 19:30 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Daniela Hantuchova(SVK)[19] vs. Casey Dellacqua(AUS)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Andreas Seppi(ITA) vs. Roger Federer(SUI)[2]

> Hisense Arena - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Julia Goerges(GER) vs. Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[5]
Men's Singles - 1st Round Juan Martin Del Potro(ARG)[8] vs. Mischa Zverev(GER)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Jelena Dokic(AUS) vs. Tamira Paszek(AUT)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Marat Safin(RUS)[26] vs. Ivan Navarro(ESP)

> MARGARET Court ARENA - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Magdalena Rybarikova(SVK) vs. Vera Zvonareva(RUS)[7]
Men's Singles - 1st Round Potito Starace(ITA) vs. Bernard Tomic(AUS)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[11] vs. Shahar Peer(ISR)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Dinara Safina(RUS)[3] vs. Alla Kudryavtseva(RUS)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Marc Gicquel(FRA) vs. David Nalbandian(ARG)[10]

> Show Court 2 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Mariya Koryttseva(UKR) vs. Alize Cornet(FRA)[15]
Men's Singles - 1st Round Julien Benneteau(FRA) vs. Marcos Baghdatis(CYP)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Evgeny Korolev(RUS) vs. Carlos Moya(ESP)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Nadia Petrova(RUS)[10] vs. Yaroslava Shvedova(KAZ)

> Show Court 3 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Robby Ginepri(USA) vs. Tomas Berdych(CZE)[20]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Melanie South(GBR) vs. Marion Bartoli(FRA)[16]
Men's Singles - 1st Round Samuel Groth(AUS) vs. Mardy Fish(USA)[23]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Anne Keothavong(GBR) vs. Anna Chakvetadze(RUS)[17]

> Court 5 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Andrea Petkovic(GER) vs. Kathrin Woerle(GER)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Alberto Martin(ESP) vs. Viktor Troicki(SRB)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Virginia Ruano Pascual(ESP) vs. Mariana Duque Marino(COL)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Oscar Hernandez(ESP) vs. Janko Tipsarevic(SRB)

> Court 6 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Kimiko Date Krumm(JPN) vs. Kaia Kanepi(EST)[25]
Men's Singles - 1st Round Bjorn Phau(GER) vs. Brydan Klein(AUS)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Karin Knapp(ITA) vs. Monika Wejnert(AUS)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Juan Carlos Ferrero(ESP) vs. Fabrice Santoro(FRA)

> Court 7 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Karolina Sprem(CRO) vs. Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Gilles Muller(LUX) vs. Feliciano Lopez(ESP)[27]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Alisa Kleybanova(RUS)[29] vs. Sofia Arvidsson(SWE)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Ekaterina Makarova(RUS) vs. Aravane Rezai(FRA)

> Court 8 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Denis Gremelmayr(GER) vs. David Ferrer(ESP)[11]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Stephanie Dubois(CAN) vs. Ai Sugiyama(JPN)[26]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Sania Mirza(IND) vs. Marta Domachowska(POL)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Sam Querrey(USA) vs. Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)[32]


> Court 10 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Brian Dabul(ARG) vs. Philipp Petzschner(GER)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Monica Niculescu(ROU) vs. Katie O'brien(GBR)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Taylor Dent(USA) vs. Amer Delic(USA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Jill Craybas(USA) vs. Mathilde Johansson(FRA)

> Court 11 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Dominik Hrbaty(SVK) vs. John Isner(USA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Maria Elena Camerin(ITA) vs. Edina Gallovits(ROU)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Simone Bolelli(ITA) vs. Kristof Vliegen(BEL)

> Court 13 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Robin Soderling(SWE)[16] vs. Robert Kendrick(USA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Galina Voskoboeva(KAZ) vs. Agnes Szavay(HUN)[23]
Women's Singles - 1st Round Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[27] vs. Sara Errani(ITA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Paul-Henri Mathieu(FRA)[28] vs. Jarkko Nieminen(FIN)

> Court 14 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Lamine Ouahab(ALG) vs. Florian Mayer(GER)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Nathalie Dechy(FRA) vs. Viktoriya Kutuzova(UKR)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Jeremy Chardy(FRA) vs. Marcos Daniel(BRA)

> Court 18 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Yanina Wickmayer(BEL) vs. Alberta Brianti(ITA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Tommy Robredo(ESP)[21] vs. Bobby Reynolds(USA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Stephanie Cohen-Aloro(FRA) vs. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Thomaz Bellucci(BRA) vs. Yen-Hsun Lu(TPE)

> Court 19 - 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Round Julia Schruff(GER) vs. Patricia Mayr(AUT)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Stanislas Wawrinka(SUI)[15] vs. Ivo Minar(CZE)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Marin Cilic(CRO)[19] vs. Kevin Anderson(RSA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Petra Cetkovska(CZE) vs. Marina Erakovic(NZL)

> Court 21 - 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Round Xavier Malisse(BEL) vs. Michael Llodra(FRA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Kirsten Flipkens(BEL) vs. Rossana De Los Rios(PAR)
Men's Singles - 1st Round Guillermo Garcia-Lopez(ESP) vs. Agustin Calleri(ARG)
Women's Singles - 1st Round Sybille Bammer(AUT)[24] vs. Lucie Safarova(CZE)

 

[stmookeyj]

When does the schedule get released?

DAY 1

LAVER DAY

Roddick vs Rehnquist
Jankovic vs Meusberger
Stoppini vs Djokovic

LAVER NIGHT

Hantuchova vs Dellacqua
Seppi vs Federer


HISENSE (ex-Vodafone)

Georges vs Ivanovic
Del Potro vs Zverev
Dokic vs Paszek
Safin vs Navarro


MARGARET COURT

Rybarikova vs Zvonareva
Starace vs Tomic
Wozniacki vs Peer
Safina vs Kudryavtseva
Gicquel vs Nalbandian (likely twilight match)


SHOWCOURT 2

Koryttseva vs Cornet
Benneteau vs Baghdatis
Korolev vs Moya
Petrova vs Shadova


SHOWCOURT 3

Ginepri vs Berdych
South vs Bartoli
Groth vs Fish
Keothavong vs Chakvetadze


On other courts, seeded players in action on D1 include Kleybanova (29th Womens, 3rd up on Court 7), Kanepi (Women's 25th, 1st up on Court 6 vs the 38 year old Japanese player Date), Ferrer (11th Men's, 1st on Court 8 vs Gremelmayr), Sugiyama (26th women, match after Ferrer), Kohlschreiber (32nd men, 4th match on 8), Soderling (13 men), Szavay (23 women), Kirilenko (27 women), and Matthieu (28 men playing Sydney finallist Niemenen) all on Court 13 in that order, Robredo (21 men) 2nd on court 18, Wawrinka and Cilic (seeded 15 and 19 in mens) back to back on Court 19 and Bammer (24 womens) last up on Court 21.

 

[matty p]

Not sure whether to post this here on in the Women's Draw thread but I might as well just post it here...

Women's Preview:

The contenders:

• Jankovic: Once again Jankovic has an easy draw and should coast through to the Quarters were she should meet Zvonareva who is a very dangerous opponent. She has been ill lately, not surprising that there's something wrong with this drama queen. However despite the illness I don’t think there are any opponents to send her packing early, although Sugiyama could present a challenge. I predict a SF loss, a repeat of last year.

• Safina: She’s probably the most in form player on tour and I expect her to come away victorious in Melbourne. Just striking the ball so cleanly and can outhit any opponent. Has improved her temperament and is in the best shape of her career.

• Venus Williams: Has a cakewalk draw with not a single player that should pose a challenge until the Semi Finals. Pennetta at #12 is the highest seed in her quarter and she won’t scare Venus. Her draw will enable her to gain form and she could finally go all the way in Melbourne.

• Dementieva: She too is in fine form, had a great 2008 and has started strongly with tournament wins in Auckland and potentially Sydney. Has always had Slam winning potential, just the serve and nerves prevented her from doing so. Now could finally be here time.

• Serena Williams: Always a contender, especially in Australia, and she got the match practice she was after in Sydney. Has a relatively easy draw until the Quarters where she'll face in form gun youngster Victoria Azarenka. Vika has failed to record a real big win at a slam but the stage could be set for here by this time.

Venus and Dementieva are in the same quarter. Serena could play Azarenka 4th round, not quarters. Radwanska or Kutznetsova would be her match up in the quarters.

This half looks much harder than the top half where you would think Safina or Jankovic should get through, unless Ivanovic has a reversal of form.

My tip is Venus to win against Safina in the final, although I'm hoping Safina can win it all. Dementieva and Serena are the other threats and 1 of those 4 should win.

 

[ashley12]

Yeah it's going to be an absolute stormer that one. Might get put on Rod Laver that one. Another one to watch would be Gulbis vs Blake 3rd round- who can pull the trigger first.

WILL get put on RL, and 99% certain it will be the night game. Probably Jankovic before it...

Subscribed...

 

[Drummond]

Mens Preview:

The contenders:

• Federer: It goes without saying that Federer is a contender. He should once again make the Semi’s which he’s done for the past who knows how many Slams now. He’s got a reasonably tough draw though with Seppi first up who he’ll beat, but he’s no slouch. Safin looms in the 3rd round, and Juan Martin Del Potro is his expected Quarter Final opponent. Other than the French he should probably always enter the Slams as the favourite, but I don’t see him winning.

• Murray: The most in form player on the tour and I expect him to win his first Slam here. He’s just full of confidence and doesn’t seem to be phased by anyone or any situation. Has matured, has increased his fitness and his strength and all up they amount to an extremely dangerous player. He should breeze through to the Quarters where Tsonga could be his opponent, but Tsonga is carrying an injury.

• Djokovic: I’m a massive Djokovic fan and believe he should always be considered a threat. His form so far in 2009 hasn’t been great with a first round exit in Brisbane followed by a SF loss to Nieminen. He started to recapture some of his class in Sydney and will be better for the match practice. I like his draw and the toughest opponent in his quarter is Nalbandian who he is scheduled to face in the Quarters.

• Nadal: The World #1, one of the favourites to win, however I don’t rate his chances too highly. He’s a contender for sure, and it’s hard to see him falling early, but I don’t feel he’s ready to win a hard court Slam. However he is improving on this surface and his eagerness to win a 6th Slam will make him extremely tough to beat. I just see him once again coming up against a hot opponent who exposes his flaws on the fast surface.

• Juan Martin Del Potro: He finished off 2008 in stunning form and he has improved out of sight from the beginning of last year. A clean ball striker, a good mover for someone so tall, Del Potro is an imposing figure on court. He’s still young and relatively inexperienced so there’s always a chance he could fall early. However he’s coming off a title win in Auckland and seems to always beat those he should so that means he’ll progress deep into the tournament.

Seeds to fall early:

• Paul Henri Mathieu: He has drawn Jarkko Nieminen first up which is a very tough ask for a seeded player. Nieminen performed well in Sydney and came close to capturing his second title. The Finn has a lot of points to defend after his QF run in 2008 and given his form he should prove too good.

• Kohlshreiber: The man who upset Roddick last year in an epic 5 set match has drawn tall American Sam Querrey. Both had good tournaments in Auckland but the German was forced to withdrawal after an injury scare. Even if he does pull up in time for the match, I expect the big serving Querrey to win through as I like his game.

• Gonzalez: Gonzo has drawn Australian Lleyton Hewitt in the 1st round and while he may be the better player and the favourite, I think Hewitt will win. Hewitt got some much needed match practice under his belt in Sydney and with the support of his home crowd I give him the slight edge. This match could prove to be a 5 set marathon but Gonzo isn’t the most consistent player on tour and I think Hewitt will wear him down and take the match.


Potential bolters:

• Ancic: The big serving Croatian was drawn to face Filippo Volandri but he has been banned for three months for abusing an asthma drug. Ancic should win first up and will then likely face a similar player in Karlovic and Ancic should prove to be too classy and too well rounded. He would then face Gilles Simon who is tough to beat but by this stage Ancic should be hitting top form.

• Gulbis: One of my favourites, this up and comer has a ‘maneuverable’ draw. Veteran Albert Montanes is first up who he should beat with ease. Next up is the seeded Igor Andreev who at his best is one heck of a player but you’re never sure what Andreev will turn up. Blake would be his 3rd round opponent who folds like a pack of cards with pressure. I just get the feeling Gulbis could be our typical Australian Open bolter who stuns the tennis world.

• Baghdatis: He’s well known so while not technically a bolter, he’s unseeded and it would be a big effort for him to go deep. Will beat Benneteau, could beat Soderling and if he’s got this far he’d comfortably account for Fish. To be honest his section of the draw is very easy and it’s set up for a Baghdatis return to form.


Aussie Watch:

• Tomic: The 16 year old, the #1 junior for his age, the young man the whole of Australia expects big things from. He is making his Grand Slam debut and he actually has a winnable match first up as he faces Italian Potito Starace. To highlight the expectations, he’s on the 3rd biggest court at the venue. He’s a tall kid, has a technically sound backhand but his forehand and serve need work. One thing is for certain, if he wins Australia will go mad.

• Klein: He too is young and a bit of pressure has been placed on his shoulders. He’s a former Australian Open junior champion but has failed to capitalise on this success. He’s got a short fuse and he pulls the trigger too early and at poor times, but at his best he’s a clean hitter who can cause trouble. He faces Bjorn Phau. At this stage of his career he just needs to win.

• Guccione: The Gooch, aka the biggest hack on tour. As is the reoccurring theme with the Aussies, he too has a winnable match first up as he has drawn Nicholas Devilder. If he wins the joy would be short lived as he’d then face Simon. But I think a win here would almost make Guccione’s year.

Others:

Carsten Ball v Michael Berrer
Samuel Groth v Mardy Fish
Colin Ebelthite v Andreas Beck

Prediction:

Murray def Djokovic.

My heart says Federer will win it all, but my heads not allowing me to factor that in. Murray’s got the form to win and has beaten Federer in 5 of their 7 career meetings but what will he take from last years US Open defeat? Will there be scars or will he have taken it as a great learning experience? He’s been the tours in form player over the past 6 or so months and has made a flawless start to the new year. Djokovic is the defending champion and surprisingly, given that title, is coming in with basically no fanfare at all. I think he’ll like that position and it’ll allow him to play his best tennis. At his best he’s a master on offence and as miserly as they come on defence, if he puts it all together he could repeat as champion.

 

[Karbo]

DAY 1

LAVER DAY

Roddick vs Rehnquist
Jankovic vs Meusberger
Stoppini vs Djokovic

I can never understand why people pay good money for RLA tickets in week 1 when this is the rubbish they get served up with. Yuck.

 

[Kaan]

Anyone know if Foxtel will be doing viewers choice like they do for EPL?