Serena Williams’s absence for most part had already opened up women’s tennis like never before in 2017. We had a two unseeded players winning Majors, five world No 1s and nine different women lifted the nine big WTA trophies.
Now, ahead of the first Grand Slam of the year, the field is just as open with withdrawal of defending champion and seven-time winner Serena. There are former Slam winners in the ranks – Venus Williams (5), Maria Sharapova, Garbine Muguruza (3), Angelique Kerber (21), Jelena Ostapenko (7) and Sloane Stephens (13) – who could add another trophy to their tally.
While Venus and Sharapova remain dangerous contenders, Wimbledon champion and world number three Muguruza is coming in after retiring with severe cramps in Brisbane last week. Stephens hasn’t won a match on tour since her Flushing Meadows triumph, and Ostapenko was far from her attacking best in her first-round defeats in Shenzhen and Sydney in the past week.
However, the stage looks set for a first-time champion with top two seeds Simona Halep and Caroline Wozniacki and fourth-ranked Elina Svitolina spearheading this charge.
Here’s a look at the five players who could finally win their first Grand Slam title in Melbourne.
Simona Halep (1)
The world No 1 doesn’t have the best of track record at Australian Open. She has fallen in the first round four times at Melbourne Park, including the last two years. But 2018 could be different. The Romanian said she had enjoyed “as good a pre-season as she could remember” as she swept to both singles and doubles titles at the Shenzhen Open last week.
An aggressive baseliner, the 26-year-old won in Madrid last season and reached four other finals including the French Open, where she lost an epic three-setter to Ostapenko.
But to make the breakthrough in Major finals, she has to overcome her reputation for folding at critical moments in big matches. As the top seed, she may never have a better chance to get off the mark that at first Slam of this year.
Caroline Wozniacki (2)
After having to deny retirement rumours just over a year ago, the Dane comes to Melbourne with her eye on regaining the top world ranking six years after she last held it. The 27-year-old had a strong end to the 2017 season, despite having more runner-up finishes than anyone else. She reeled off wins over Svitolina, Halep and Pliskova in Singapore, rising from 19th to second in the world in 12 months. And with her first career victory over Venus, she lifted her biggest career trophy at the WTA Tour finals in Singapore.
She started 2018 with a run to the final in Auckland, despite not winning the trophy, losing to Germany’s Julia Goerges. But the former World No 1 said she felt great heading to Melbourne as she looks forward to finally make her Slam breakthrough.
Elina Svitolina (4)
In-form Svitolina has already started her season strong winning the title at Brisbane International, building on a great 2017 where she picked up five WTA Tour titles – the most on the women’s tour, rising to a career-high No 3.
In Toronto, the 23-year-old demolished Venus, Muguruza, Halep and Wozniacki, proving she can put together a sustained run against the best. Last week in Brisbane as well, she swept aside a quality field with victories over Konta and Pliskova en route to the title and a world ranking of four.
If she can continue building on her momentum, she has the ability to make a deep run at Slams, and maybe lift the trophy as well.
Karolina Pliskova (6)
World number six Pliskova lost to Svitolina in the Brisbane semi-final but also will be a contender for a maiden Slam behind one of the biggest serves on tour. The 25-year-old rose to world number one in July last year following victories in Brisbane, Doha and Eastbourne, but fell to the crown of thorns that the top-rank was.
Pliskova’s biggest weapon is her serve – she was the ace leader on the WTA Tour last year, powering down 452 first service winners in 69 matches.
Last year, she reached the Australian Open quarter-finals seeded five and will look to go further this time around. In top form she will be hard to beat and if she can sustain the pressure of big matches, she can very well win her first Slam.
Johanna Konta (9)
The Australian-born Briton became one of the stories of Melbourne Park, reaching the last eight in both of her Australian Open appearances to date. In 2016 after beating Venus in the first round and reaching the semis, where she lost to eventual champion Kerber. In 2017, she reached the last eight in 2017 as well, losing to eventual champion Serena, who also went on to lift the title.
Konta also won Miami and reached last year’s Wimbledon semis but she then endured a slump in form with niggling injuries and dropped from a career-high fourth in the world to her current ninth. To start 2018, she lost in the first round at Sydeny where she was the defending champion.
However, the ninth seed has shown the potential to make it count at big tournaments and if she can maintain her fitness, can go deep at Melbourne.
With inputs from AFP
