2013 Australian Open Preview A NEW SEASON KICKS OFF DOWN UNDER
The women’s side of the draw The contenders … Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Victoria Azarenka, the defending women’s champion, is back and is playing well. The hard courts of Melbourne suit her game and she will be looking to keep her crown. Last year, Azarenka was quite impressive winning the title by defeating Maria Sharapova easily 6-3, 6-0 in the final. In her last Grand Slam (the U.S. Open), she lost to Serena Williams in a tough three-set final. Odds are, they meet again Down Under. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Regardless of her ranking at the time, Serena Williams is generally the favorite in every tour-
nament she plays. When she is focused mentally and on top of her game, she is always tough to beat. She will be looking to avenge a fourth round loss from a year ago, where she fell in straight sets to the unseeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia. With Azarenka, Sharapova and others looking to knock her off, it won’t be an easy road, but Serena is certainly a major contender in Australian. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Maria Sharapova lost in the finals of last year’s Australian Open to Victoria Azarenka and she will be attempting to go one step further this year and win the title. Sharapova is coming off an impressive 2012 season and will hope to build on that this year. She is one of the top threats.
The pretenders … Petra Kvitova came into Australia as the number two seed in 2012 and lost to Maria Sharapova in a tough semifinal. Her game has slipped a bit since, however, she still remains within the top 10 of the WTA Rankings. While she is still a threat, until she regains her top form, she likely will not be able to string together the six wins necessary to win the title. Photo credit: Kenneth B. Goldberg
Venus Williams sat out last year’s tournament with an illness, but she will return in 2013. Venus has yet to regain top form since her return to the courts and overcoming the Australian heat and the field of women may be too much for her. She is currently ranked 24th in the world. Expect an early ouster for Venus.
NYTennisMag.com • January/February 2013 • New York Tennis Magazine
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