http://www.australianopen.com/en_AU/scores...s/ws/index.html

Kim and Hingis are in the same quarter, so a repeat of last years quarter final seems on the cards :rolleyes:

Serena has drawn Mara Santangelo in the 1st round and should she progress to the third she could face Nadia Petrova there and most likely Jelena Jankovic in the 4th (again should she win). Svetlana is the seed for that quarter but I can see Jankovic coming through.

Amelie should make in roads in her title defence as she's drawn Dementieva in her quarter; Vaidisova is looming dangerously though.

Oh, and as for the top quarter of the draw. Maria roflmao. Camille Pin in the 1st round, does it get any easier? And Schnyder for her quarter. Once again Maria's path to the semis is booked; although Patty will be more dangerous on Rebound Ace than anywhere else, it isn't set in stone by any means of course :)


Also, the two biggest favourites Kim and Maria are both in top half...and will probably meet in the semis; it seems likely that the winner will come from the top imo. A Clijsters/Jankovic Final two tournies in a row anyone?

Im not writing Hingis et al. off of course just speculating on what is most likely to happen. I think all in all the draw is fairly balanced.

A final note on Serena, if she were to find some form (and I certainly hope she does!) then Jankovic is her biggest obstacle. Justine hasn't even entered and Kim and Maria are in the other half :)

I just noticed how tough Hingis' little section is; Na Li and Safina both as potential opponents before she even gets to the quarters :o

Beating them would be an achievement in itself!

Well SW, where am i in the draw? Im not sure if im down under Pierce or Valid. I was hoping to avoid Momo as she will probably fancy me :yikes:

Maria Sharapova RUS (1) vs. Camille Pin FRA
Roberta Vinci ITA vs. Anastassia Rodionova RUS
QUALIFIER vs. Meghann Shaughnessy USA
Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI vs. Tathiana Garbin ITA (30)

Vera Zvonareva RUS (22) vs. Tzipora Obziler ISR
QUALIFIER vs. Severine Bremond FRA
Varvara Lepchenko UZB vs. Agnieszka Radwanska POL
Vania King USA vs. Ana Ivanovic SRB (13)

Anna Chakvetadze RUS (12) vs. Sybille Bammer AUT
Yulia Beygelzimer UKR vs. Laura Granville USA
Sophie Ferguson AUS vs. Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO
QUALIFIER vs. Samantha Stosur AUS (24)

Flavia Pennetta ITA (28) vs. Kaia Kanepi EST
Yung-Jan Chan TPE vs. Alicia Molik AUS
QUALIFIER vs. Shuai Peng CHN
Madison Brengle USA vs. Patty Schnyder SUI (8)

Kim Clijsters BEL (4) vs. Vasilisa Bardina RUS
Akiko Morigami JPN vs. Tsvetana Pironkova BUL
Nicole Pratt AUS vs. Virginie Razzano FRA
QUALIFIER vs. Alona Bondarenko UKR (29)

Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER (17) vs. QUALIFIER
Ashley Harkleroad USA vs. Meng Yuan CHN
Emilie Loit FRA vs. Aravane Rezai FRA
QUALIFIER vs. Daniela Hantuchova SVK (15)

Dinara Safina RUS (9) vs. Ekaterina Bychkova RUS
Youlia Fedossova FRA vs. Catalina Castano COL
QUALIFIER vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP
Elena Bovina RUS vs. Na Li CHN (19)

Eleni Daniilidou GRE (32) vs. Aiko Nakamura JPN
Olga Savchuk UKR vs. Sania Mirza IND
QUALIFIER vs. Emma Laine FIN
Nathalie Dechy FRA vs. Martina Hingis SUI (6)

------------------------------------------------------------

Nadia Petrova RUS (5) vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn THA
Gisela Dulko ARG vs. Tiantian Sun CHN
Michaella Krajicek NED vs. QUALIFIER
Serena Williams USA vs. Mara Santangelo ITA (27)

Marion Bartoli FRA (18) vs. Vera Dushevina RUS
Victoria Azarenka BLR vs. Yuliana Fedak UKR
Melinda Czink HUN vs. Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP
Aleksandra Wozniak CAN vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (11)

Shahar Peer ISR (16) vs. Romina Oprandi ITA
Edina Gallovits ROM vs. Meilen Tu USA
Zuzana Ondraskova CZE vs. Clarisa Fernandez ARG
Anna Smashnova ISR vs. Tatiana Golovin FRA (20)

Maria Kirilenko RUS (26) vs. Karolina Sprem CRO
QUALIFIER vs. Elena Likhovtseva RUS
Iroda Tulyaganova UZB vs. Monique Adamczak AUS
Jessica Moore AUS vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (3)

Elena Dementieva RUS (7) vs. Stephanie Foretz FRA
Martina Muller GER vs. QUALIFIER
Maria Elena Camerin ITA vs. Kirsten Flipkens BEL
Elena Vesnina RUS vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP (25)

Katarina Srebotnik SLO (21) vs. Casey Dellacqua AUS
Iveta Benesova CZE vs. Galina Voskoboeva RUS
Jarmila Gajdosova SVK vs. Milagros Sequera VEN
Jill Craybas USA vs. Nicole Vaidisova CZE (10)

Francesca Schiavone ITA (14) vs. Sandra Kloesel GER
Lucie Safarova CZE vs. Alberta Brianti ITA
Laura Pous Tio ESP vs. Anastasiya Yakimova BLR
Sofia Arvidsson SWE vs. Ai Sugiyama JPN (23)

Jie Zheng CHN (31) vs. Julia Schruff GER
Martina Sucha SVK vs. Eva Birnerova CZE
Marta Domachowska POL vs. Olga Poutchkova RUS
Shenay Perry USA vs. Amelie Mauresmo FRA (2)

Poor Camille roflmao

In that top half I really see Safina being more of a threat to Sharapova and Clijsters than Hingis. Safina's in great form having won a title last week, and really seems to have that hunger and determination - she's be all over the Hingis serve, should they play.

Serena spices things up a bit in that lower half - if she can make it past Jankovic and Kuznetsova (OK, that's a fairly big if) I reckon she may beat Mauresmo - Amelie has struggled against the Williams sisters in the past.

On the sky sports news headline banner, they said it's a tough match for Sharapova roflmao

I thought that Dementieva would go out in the first-round, but seeing the draw, I don't think so now

I'm shitting it about Hingis. I know she always beats Dechy, but me is scared she might lose this time :wacko:

roflmao

I guess they refused to give a wildcard then :shrug:

Maria vs Camille :rolleyes: Who knows - maybe Camille's shots will frustrate Masha so much that she commits several hundred UE and crashes out...

More likely she will double bagel the petite french woman :(

Elena has drawn Foretz....theoretically a VERY winnable match....then again this is Elena at the Australian, I mean Sandra Kleinova anyone? :rolleyes:

Keothavong out of quallies, so no British girls in main draw this year

First Eighth

Well, it doesn't get too much easier for Maria Sharapova in the opening round. Camille just does not possess the weapons to really trouble the top seed, and unless Maria totally self-destructs she'll breeze through. I don't see her encountering any problems until she reaches the 4th round, where Ivanovic could pose a threat if she produces a good display. But when you compare the pair's consistency, you'd have to go with Maria.

Second Eighth

I think that this is the weakest section of the draw, though it could still be competitive. Chakvetadze has started well in 2007, which was a little unexpected considering her past endeavours in this surface, so it'll be interesting to see how she fares. Shaui Peng could be a potential banana skin for Schnyder, but the seed in her little section, Pennetta, is still on the comeback trail from injury and I wouldn't expect her to make much of an impact. I think Stosur has a terrific opportunity to defend her 4th round points; she plays so well in front of her home fans, and that support could see her beat Anna in the 3rd round and maybe even get past Schnyder to reach the quarters.

Third Eighth

Kim will be fine if she continues her good form. Bardina did well to reach the Hobart final, but I don't see her troubling Kim too much. It will be more interesting to see who Kim's 3rd round opponent will be; Hantuchova is struggling with a virus, and Groenefeld is woefully out of form, so it could be an opportunity for Rezai to make a little run.

Fourth Eighth

Oh wow, tough section for Martina! Dechy shouldn't be too much of a problem, though when she's in decent form she's always a bit of a danger. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mirza in round 3, and that could be difficult for Martina - as we saw in Seoul (I think) last year, Sania certainly has the ability to blow the Swiss Miss of the court. It won't get any easier for Martina, as she'll likely face Safina, who of course defeated Martina in the Gold Coast final.

Fifth Eighth

I can't see Serena getting past the fourth round here, and she'd do well to reach that stage. She's got to take it one match at a time, because Santangelo can be tricky; she puts an odd 'flat-sidespin' on the ball which can be tough to handle initially. I'd still expect her to progress to round 3 though, where she'd probably play Petrova. I know Nadia's had a few injuries in the last few weeks, so whilst Serena way have a chance, I still don't think she's fit enough or in good enough form to take out a player of Petrova's calibre at this stage in her comeback. And even if she does, Jankovic would surely put end to her campaign, unless the Serb is suffering from injury/fatigue.

Sixth Eighth

Kuznetsova hasn't had the ideal preparation with her bronchitis, so I wouldn't be too shocked to see her lose before the quarters. Peer and Golovin are both talented youngsters, and when they're playing well they're a good match for anyone. Shahar hasn't looked too impressive thus far in 2007 (then again neither has Golovin), but I just give the slight edge to Tatiana, who is a tad more consistent.

Seventh Eighth

Ah, Elena - will she suffer another first round loss? She's been given a nice draw, so I think she'll get some wins here. Vesnina, who of course reached the fourth round last year, will be determined to replicate her 2006 achievement and she could be a challenge. It's hard to look past Vaidisova as Elena's fourth round opponent, and I wouldn't be surprised to see the Czech to improve on her performance at last year's AO.

Final Eighth

Mauresmo should move into the quarter-finals fairly comfortably. If she manages to maintain any decent level of form I can't pick a player in this section who could spring an upset against the Frenchwoman. I think Schiavone will make the fourth round, considering Ai's recent records in the Australian heat.


Predictions

Quarter-Finals

(1) Sharapova v (8) Schnyder
(4) Clijsters v (6) Hingis
(11) Jankovic v (20) Golovin
(10) Vaidisova v (2) Mauresmo

Semi-Finals

(1) Sharapova v (4) Clijsters
(11) Jankovic v (2) Mauresmo

Final

(4) Clijsters v (11) Jankovic (but I'm really not sure, considering how much Jelena's played in the last couple of weeks)

Sorry for the huge length of this post :lol:

Nice analysis LDF, I'm too lazy so I'll just say Clijsters def. Mauresmo in the final roflmao

Thanks Dav :D

As I said in my post, I'm really not sure about picking Jankovic, because I do think there's a big possibility that she'll just be too worn out...

And it'll be interesting to see her temperament in such big matches :unsure:

Well I sort of want her lose early cos her 'bandwagon' is getting on my nerves a bit :lol:

I like Jelena's style of play, but she is beginning to grate on me....maybe it's comments like this:

Jankovic said: "I felt like I was the better player. I had it, I should have won it in two sets. In two points I made mistakes."

Well she didn't, so she was the weaker player mentally, end of. :rolleyes: She reminds me so much of Serena, bless.

Jelena was the better player! and she knew it! Did she say she was the mentally strongest? NO!

But really how can you not like her! Her personality is amazing!

How dare you say that? :angry:

Serena is much less gracious in defeat!

If she was the better player then how come she didn't win?

The better player always wins.... (well 99% of the time)

Exactly, I think maybe Jelena was the better player right up until she failed to serve it out....but if she was the better player she would have won. :P

And yes you are right, Serena is MUCH less gracious in defeat - I'm still laughing about her comments about Sybille Bammer (something along the lines of "I didn't know she existed") roflmao

I think Jelena has a positive attitude now and it's good that she believes in herself, but there's confidence and self belief (like Justine and Maria have) and then there's just being plain arrogant and rude!

Why does Schnyder always get easy draws? Are they trying to punish us by making her stay in the competition for longer? :wacko:

"I didn't know she existed...until she came and beat the shit out of me!" :rolleyes: roflmao

She may tend to get easy draws but either way she's guaranteed to bomb out in the quarters roflmao

roflmao roflmao

I reckon she'll go out earlier :devil:

I had Kuznetsova and Dementieva down for first round exits, but I don't think so now after seeing the draw

First seed out, I think Kirilenko to Sperm

LOL, ye I think Kuzzy and Dementieva will make it to at least the 4th round hopefully, don't see them going deep though.

roflmao

Still comments like these from Serena give me a wry smile.....but when they come from players like Jelena they make me go :rolleyes:

Ye at least win a slam first Jelena :rolleyes:

I don't think she will though...her loss today really confirms that in the bigger match situations against a more experienced player, that they would really just have to give up hope for her to win (she actually said she was expecting Kim to give up :lol:).

She just doesn't have enough experience of being in finals and grand slam semis to draw on.

Serena and Venus are probably the most rude and arrogant of all players on tour and that's saying something! roflmao :rolleyes:

ooh strike 1 Choka! :rolleyes: roflmao

I don't read much into what these past and recovering champions usually say after defeats. More often, it is to make themselves feel better..... and not a really genuine take on events....

I guess that is why the likes of Jelena tend to sound refreshing... the naivety and all is a breathe of fresh air.. it is good to see someone beiing really truthful after the moment.

I think she is playing with some hunger and passion....but she does lack some slight killer instinct when it really matters... I wont be hard on her, she is up and coming so by mid season she should be there.....

But I am all for KIm for the Aussie Open..... Serena doing well, will surprise me, albeit a pleasant one.... but Kim should nick it.. even with her tough draw..

As for Patty....one of these days..she is going to rue all her missed opportunities..at these slams....it is about time she woke up..smelt the coffee and realised the opportunities the draws give her...

Jelena does look good for the Aussie Open, unless something major happens to her form, she's a contender in melbourne. Serena is there, but i dont know how well equipped Serena is to do well here. Looking in better shape, but will it be enough. That Bammer result unsetlled me i must say............ :unsure: Hopefully though, this slam will inspire her to play great tennis. Need Serena back at elite level so badly! :pray:

I still think Mauresmo is in with a shot at defending. her play was mediocre at best in Sydney, but her conditioning looked spot-on as ever, and Amelie has a great ability to find some good tennis even if she flops in the warm-ups( eg her 2 Slam wins last year) Should make the semis. Should jankovic reach the semis along with Momo, i would put my money on the Serb, but mauresmo cant be underestimated. nothing like defending a title to bring out the champion in you.

Clijsters and Sharapova probably will make up the other semi, with clijsters winning it. Yes i know i'm not a big fan of Kim, but objectively she is playing the best tennis on tour atm, so is probably the pre-tourny favourite. Sharapova is top seed, but i dont see the Slam trophy in her arms this year. This is a slow court, especially when it gets really hot, and it will test Sharapova's movement so much. Also, i can just see the serve and forehand breaking down, against a clijsters or a Mauresmo who can just absorb her pace and get the ball back with interest.

A week ago i would have said Kuzy would be a possible threat, but a bout of bronchitus seems to have put pay to any decent preperation for this event. Unlike some, Kuzy really needs warm-up events to play her into form, or otherwise she just looks very rusty in the Slams. Still i think she'll make the round of 16, losing to Peer. Safina also looks a real darkhorse. Unfortunate to be in Clijsters's section of the draw, but i think she'll take out Hingis in the fourthround before losing to Clijsters. Her game is improving all the time, serve looks huge, moving ever so much better than previous years and is highly confident at the moment. She wont go down without a fight ;)

' Wild cards' could come from several players. molik showed promising form in both Perth and in hobart. If she gets inspired by the surroundings could possibly upset Patty in round 3. Also in Patty's section, Peng Shuai. So erratic but melbourne could be the tournament where she puts it all together. Well capable of defeating Patty in round 2, should be injury-free.

Upsets- Perhaps Danillidou vs Hingis in round 3?

rezai vs Hantuchova

Sprem vs Kirilenko

Vesnina vs Medina Garrigues..........


Looks to be a great Aussie Open tourny! :D :party:

It nearly happened! :o :lol:

Very good analysis, although Peng has gone now.

I agree on MoMo, I do think that being the first time she has defended a slam, she'll find her drive and form in the latter stages. I always say with MoMo dont; bet on her, but I have doen for ages and finally got my dosh back last year! roflmao This year though the odds are crap so no bets thsi time. If I were going for an outsider it will be Safina, she is highly underrated IMO and not beign talked up like Nicole and Jelena. I'd be keen to see Jelena progress and hopefully get to catch her match on digital (I can hope :D ). Have hardly seen he rplay so keen to know what the fuss is about. No idea how on form Safina is, but hasn;t she beaten Maria before now? She certainly seems to have the power to beat anyone when she's driven and sparking up. Kim does seem to be the form horse at the mo though, I dont; like her game either but I can see her winning this for some reason, just a feeling. She is enjoying it more as she is in her final year and has nothing to lose, no worries for next season and will be in the best position possible to give it her all in her last shot. If JHH were there though, I'd say doubts hung over Kim as she just doesnt; deliver when JHH plays well.

Pah, I only got 1 of the quarter-finalists in the bottom half right :( roflmao

I don't think anyone could have predicted Safarova though :lol:

Thank god i didnt categorically state my quarter-finals, they would have been totally wrong roflmao

Though LDF, i would never have put Golovin in the quarters, i really dont like her impatient ball-striking :unsure:

Well I thought the winner of Golovin/Peer would reach the quarter-finals, but I went for Tatiana because I like her more :lol:

Totally unbiased analysis from me :D roflmao

And she had a real chance to get through, only to lose after holding match points :(

Tati always chokes :lol:

Peer was so great in that match, the reincarnation of Seles :bow:

I know :angry: :rolleyes:

I didn't see that match, though I've heard great things about it :)

I was ill wednesday to Friday, so i got to watch a lot of tennis, amidst a fever and coughing galore :rolleyes: roflmao