2018 Australian Open - Women's singles.

[Aussie Darcy]

First slam of 2018 is almost here, draw begins in under half an hour.

Looks to be a great slam with a wide open field.

Seeded players in order are: Halep, Wozniacki, Muguruza, Svitolina, Venus, Pliskova, Ostapenko, Garcia, Konta, Vandeweghe, Mladenovic, Goerges, Sloane, Sevastova, Pavlyuchenkova, Vesnina, Keys, Barty, Rybarikova, Strycova, Kerber, Kasatkina, Gavrilova, Domi, Peng, Radwanska, Kvitova, Lucic-Baroni, Safarova, Bertens, Makarova, Kontaveit.

The defending champ Serena Williams is out which really opens the draw up. Also out: 2x slam champ Kuznetsova, Bacsinszky, Siegemund and a few others.

Halep, Wozniacki, Muguruza, Svitolina, Pliskova and Ostapenko are all in contention for the #1 spot.

Former champion Sharapova in the draw. She will be a hot topic of discussion considering this is the place where she tested positive to a banned substance which resulted in her 14 month tennis ban.

Draw here: https://ausopen.com/draws?events=2446&player=

Lots of juicy 1R matches:
Kvitova v Petkovic
Barty v Sabalenka
Safarova v Tomljanovic
Radwanska v Kristyna Pliskova
Venus v Bencic
Sloane v Zhang
Ostapenko v Schiavone
Cibulkova v Kanepi
Stosur v Puig
Vandeweghe v Babos
Bertens v Bellis

So, who will win the first slam of the year?

 

[Aussie Darcy]

In what world did the Australian Open organizers think it was ok for Sharapova to carry out the women's trophy? Ok Serena couldn't do it, pick literally anyone else. 2014 champ Li Na comes to mind.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Kvitova or Halep for first quarter!

 

[Aussie Darcy]

1st quarter is loaded

Halep, Bouchard, Kvitova, Barty, Giorgi, Vesnina, Konta, Strycova, Safarova, Pliskova!

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Wow, Sharapova gets Sevastova 2R (who beat her in the 4R at the US Open last year), 3R Kerber.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Bencic gets a Williams sister AGAIN 1R. Rough.

Sloane gets 2016 QFist Zhang Shuai 1R. Also rough.

Ostapenko v Schiavone.

Domi v Kanepi.

Stosur v Puig, wow.

Coco v Babos 1R, Suarez Navarro 2R, Stosur/Puig/Domi/Kanepi 3R.

 

[NaomiKonjuhPotapova]

Top half is very heavy loaded compare to bottom half.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Cara Black tips Wozniacki to win the Australian Open.

With good reason, her draw is crazy good.

1R Buzarnescu, 2R Eguchi/Fett, 3R Bertens, 4R Pavs/Rybarikova, QF Ostapenko/Domi/Coco, SF Svitolina/Venus/Sloane/Goerges.

Wouldn't have to face Pliskova, Halep, Sharapova, Konta, Muguruza or Kerber til the final.

 

[Krish872007]

Ouch, Venus gets Belinda in R1.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Top half is loaded with Pliskova, Halep, Sharapova, Konta, Muguruza or Kerber

Bottom half meanwhile has Venus, Goerges, Sloane, Svitolina, Ostapenko, Domi, Coco, Woz.

 

[Krish872007]

Wonder if this has impacted the odds - most of the odds were very conservative, no one really picked an outright favourite for the title.

 

[Pagoo]

Wow, Sharapova gets Sevastova 2R (who beat her in the 4R at the US Open last year), 3R Kerber.

Smash that gal. Sharapova is morally bankrupt. "My time away" Yeah, you decided to take a break for 15 months just for the fun of it.

 

[Pagoo]

Bad draw for Venus and Bencic. Bencic played Serena in R1 last year.

 

[VolleyHelena]

 

[Gytha]

Woz if you're gonna win a Slam this is a damn good chance!

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

I guess Eli got a pretty nice draw compared to most other top seeds. Time for some deeper runs at Majors please?

 

[Bukmeikara]

Guys, you like Belinda chances? If she upsets Venus in the first round, she would get her place in the draw : QF Svitolina, SF Wozniacki seems great for her.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Guys, you like Belinda chances? If she upsets Venus in the first round, she would get her place in the draw : QF Svitolina, SF Wozniacki seems great for her.

Venus 1R, Makarova 3R, in form Goerges 4R perhaps and then Svitolina QF.

It's not at all a good draw for Belinda unfortunately.

 

[Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil]

That 1st quarter though...

 

[WYK]

Poor Moogi is gonna need a leg transplant if she's gonna get far in to that roster.

 

[I Am Finnish]

I think Im picking Kerber

She has her 2016 form back


Darkhorse: Goerges

 

[I Am Finnish]

LOL at Sharapova draw brutal

Sevastova
Kerber
Muguruza
Keys/garcia
Kvitova/Halep
Wozniacki/Svitolina

 

[boredone3456]

Interesting...some thoughts

Svitolina- cakewalk draw until the QF. Sure she has Sloane, but Sloane has been pretty horrible since winning the US Open. If she snaps out of that first major funk, she could be a problem but otherwise, before the QF she shouldn't have trouble. However if Venus somehow falls early (which I hope not but she did just lose to Kerber...) Svitolina has the easiest draw to the SF imaginable

Woz- GIRL...if you are going to win your first major this is the time to do it. Literally as easy a draw as Svitolina to the QF. Coco/Ostapenko could be waiting for her there though, which would be interesting. however both of them are inconsistent, and former finalist Cibulkova is lurking up there to (although Kerber just annihilated her...). But even then, none of those are people Woz shouldn't be able to take down. A Woz/Svitolina SF would be interesting.

The whole top quarter is loaded (which seems to be a theme at majors I feel like, this isn't the first time where the top quarter looks like a bloodbath and the rest is weak looking). I could see pretty much any seed making the SF up there...literally.

Sharapova- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. girl....HAVE FUN

Dark Horses

Coco- last years SFist. If she doesn't choke, she could go deep. Ostapenko is unprediactable so she could take her down and make the QF if she keeps it together. Woz has a lot of pressure on her, Coco really doesn't...so lets see what happens

Keys- Girl you have Kiki in your section and she has played like trash for months, if you cannot make something of this UGH. watch out for Garcia though that could be trouble.

Barty- Playing Well, sadly shes in the most loaded section of the draw. But Vesnina is a human roller coaster and Halep has a lot of pressure on her. If Barty can channel the hometown energy in a positive way (IE do not pull a Stosur) she could do well.

 

[I Am Finnish]

@boredone3456 Bencic will probably upset Venus & dont forget Goerges as darkhorse

 

[I Am Finnish]

R4 Mladenovic - Garcia let it happen please

 

[boredone3456]

R4 Mladenovic - Garcia let it happen please

If Mladenovic makes it to Keys I will be shocked, and the way she has been playing Keys should make mince meat out of her.

As for Bencic vs Venus...If Venus is playing well she will win hands down. Bencic has done well in recent months but in terms of game Venus should win.

Gorges....I would like to see her do well and she did win Auckland, so maybe she could go deep. She does have a nice winning streak going to. She always seems to do well in Auckland, at least the last few years...but then she has done poorly at the AO following those strong performances. I'm not sure what to thing about her.

 

[bezs]

Expecting Svitolina to do well.

 

[boredone3456]

Dream QF

This is what I would love to see happen, not what I really think will happen sadly

Halep vs Barty
Muguruza vs Keys
Venus vs Svitolina
Cibulkova vs Woz

Odds are though thats not going to happen...but it would be a nice lineup

 

[Aussie Darcy]

The betting odds for the womens champ is crazy.

Svitolina - $8
Halep - $9
Wozniacki - $10
Kerber - $11
Pliskova - $11
Muguruza - $13
Sharapova - $15
Coco - $19
Konta, Goerges, Keys - $21
Kvitova - $23
Venus - $26
Barty - $31
Garcia - $34
Bencic, Ostapenko - $41
Domi, Sloane - $51

Svitolina the favourite? Never gone past the 3R, never made a slam SF. Bizzare.
Halep 2nd favourite? I guess it makes sense as she's the top top seed but she's lost 1R in the last 2 years and has never made the SF.
Woz 3rd fav makes sense with her great draw as does Kerber and Pliskova.
I'm stunned by Sharapova being 7th favourite considering she has to face Sevastova 2R who beat her at the USO and then in form Kerber 3R.
Kvitova at 12th? Hasn't gone past the 3R since making the SF in 2012. In questionable form.
Venus all the way down at 13th is shocking. Defending finalist, top 5, USO finalist and WTA finals finalist.. Odd. Behind Venus? Strange

 

[fundrazer]

I am concerned about Mugu. Ideally she wins, but I'm hoping she at least makes a deep run giving me another player to watch. Lost interest in a lot of players, so I don't watch as many matches.

I will watch Belinda vs Venus for sure though. Although that could very well be a night match, and I can't always stay up for those. Uni starts for me again on Tuesday.

 

[WDC]

The betting odds for the womens champ is crazy.

Svitolina - $8
Halep - $9
Wozniacki - $10
Kerber - $11
Pliskova - $11
Muguruza - $13
Sharapova - $15
Coco - $19
Konta, Goerges, Keys - $21
Kvitova - $23
Venus - $26
Barty - $31
Garcia - $34
Bencic, Ostapenko - $41
Domi, Sloane - $51

Svitolina the favourite? Never gone past the 3R, never made a slam SF. Bizzare.
Halep 2nd favourite? I guess it makes sense as she's the top top seed but she's lost 1R in the last 2 years and has never made the SF.
Woz 3rd fav makes sense with her great draw as does Kerber and Pliskova.
I'm stunned by Sharapova being 7th favourite considering she has to face Sevastova 2R who beat her at the USO and then in form Kerber 3R.
Kvitova at 12th? Hasn't gone past the 3R since making the SF in 2012. In questionable form.
Venus all the way down at 13th is shocking. Defending finalist, top 5, USO finalist and WTA finals finalist.. Odd. Behind Venus? Strange

It is an open event as those odds demonstrate, Williams is probably down as she is perceived to have a tough first round draw, personally I expect her to win that game easily and then she could easily become favourite. I shan't predict until I have seen the pace and bounce of the courts, if it is like last year and favours the bashers, Williams, Coco, or an in form Georges are worth a flutter. If the courts are medium quick and not too bouncy, Svitolina, Woz and Kerber all will have a great chance. Svitolina has won more events than anyone in the last year, last year was her breakthrough year but her serve let her down in close games in the big events, early signs are she has added weight and consistency to her serve, if that carries on she will compete well everywhere, I wouldn't read too much into past records assessing her chances. Mugu and Garcia both have the game to go far but have injury issues, so wide open.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

It is an open event as those odds demonstrate, Williams is probably down as she is perceived to have a tough first round draw, personally I expect her to win that game easily and then she could easily become favourite. I shan't predict until I have seen the pace and bounce of the courts, if it is like last year and favours the bashers, Williams, Coco, or an in form Georges are worth a flutter. If the courts are medium quick and not too bouncy, Svitolina, Woz and Kerber all will have a great chance. Svitolina has won more events than anyone in the last year, last year was her breakthrough year but her serve let her down in close games in the big events, early signs are she has added weight and consistency to her serve, if that carries on she will compete well everywhere, I wouldn't read too much into past records assessing her chances. Mugu and Garcia both have the game to go far but have injury issues, so wide open.

Kind of understand about Venus but then not sure how Bencic is ranked up there as the second most likely unseeded player to win. She's ahead of seeded players like Kasatkina (who has a great draw), Gavrilova (made the 4R in 2016 and 2017 and has a decent draw too) and Radwanska (her ranking has dropped but she's made back to back tour QF's in 2018, and is a 2x former SFist).

I completely forgot Svitolina won Brisbane which I guess has boosted her odds but I can't get past the fact she hasn't gone past the QF of a slam. (Neither had Ostapenko but nobody saw that one coming, Svitolina choked that huge lead against Halep at the French QF so who knows what she can do). I would LOVE for Muguruza to win but have no idea where her fitness is at. Garcia, no clue where she's at either after retiring in Brisbane. I can't wait for this slam, very excited.

 

[Aussie Darcy]

I am concerned about Mugu. Ideally she wins, but I'm hoping she at least makes a deep run giving me another player to watch. Lost interest in a lot of players, so I don't watch as many matches.

I will watch Belinda vs Venus for sure though. Although that could very well be a night match, and I can't always stay up for those. Uni starts for me again on Tuesday.

Hmm i'm the complete opposite, quite enjoying the state of the WTA. But yes, Muguruza winning a third slam and getting to number one would be amazing! When even was the last time a woman held 2 slams that wasn't called Serena Williams? Mauresmo 2006?

 

[Krish872007]

Hmm i'm the complete opposite, quite enjoying the state of the WTA. But yes, Muguruza winning a third slam and getting to number one would be amazing! When even was the last time a woman held 2 slams that wasn't called Serena Williams? Mauresmo 2006?

Surely Kerber 2016?

 

[Aussie Darcy]

Surely Kerber 2016?

Man oh man that's how bad her 2017 was, I always forget about her 2016! Oh my, so embarrassing.

 

[boredone3456]

The betting odds for the womens champ is crazy.

Svitolina - $8
Halep - $9
Wozniacki - $10
Kerber - $11
Pliskova - $11
Muguruza - $13
Sharapova - $15
Coco - $19
Konta, Goerges, Keys - $21
Kvitova - $23
Venus - $26
Barty - $31
Garcia - $34
Bencic, Ostapenko - $41
Domi, Sloane - $51

Svitolina the favourite? Never gone past the 3R, never made a slam SF. Bizzare.
Halep 2nd favourite? I guess it makes sense as she's the top top seed but she's lost 1R in the last 2 years and has never made the SF.
Woz 3rd fav makes sense with her great draw as does Kerber and Pliskova.
I'm stunned by Sharapova being 7th favourite considering she has to face Sevastova 2R who beat her at the USO and then in form Kerber 3R.
Kvitova at 12th? Hasn't gone past the 3R since making the SF in 2012. In questionable form.
Venus all the way down at 13th is shocking. Defending finalist, top 5, USO finalist and WTA finals finalist.. Odd. Behind Venus? Strange

Svitolina is probably the favorite because she arguable the easiest possible Draw to the QF. There she may have Venus waiting but when she played her on a hardcourt last year she beat her 6-2 6-1. Woz as the possible SF opponent who she is 3-1 against including 2-1 on hardcourts (with both her wins being in straight sets) and then the winner of the top half bloodbath in the Finals. Sure she has never been past the 3rd round but on paper she has the easiest possible road, with Woz being a close 2nd.

Venus being low makes sense to me, maybe not that that low though. She has 2 finals here 14 years apart, the possibility of having to go through Svitolina and Wozniacki (who both beat her in straights the last time she played them) to get to the finals, then she needs to win the final. She just lost to Kerber in a tune up in the 2nd round as well. Sure she has a lot of positives going for her, But I can see her not being called the outright favorite to win the title as well. I wouldn't say she has lower odds than any of Sharapova, Coco, Konta, Keys or Gorges. She should be above them

 

[boredone3456]

Bencic- her odds both shock me and don't shock me. It shocks me because her main tour performances have struggled and because of the injury last year, then add in her having Venus in the first round...However since she came back from injury she has kind of been on fire. She won 4 tournaments (albeit ITF and 125k series tournaments) after she came back, and after dropping as low as like 200 at one point last year finished the year ranked like 75. Plus well, people like a cinderella story so why not feed into it LOL

 

[I Am Finnish]

Bottom half start first

 

[WDC]

Kind of understand about Venus but then not sure how Bencic is ranked up there as the second most likely unseeded player to win. She's ahead of seeded players like Kasatkina (who has a great draw), Gavrilova (made the 4R in 2016 and 2017 and has a decent draw too) and Radwanska (her ranking has dropped but she's made back to back tour QF's in 2018, and is a 2x former SFist).

I completely forgot Svitolina won Brisbane which I guess has boosted her odds but I can't get past the fact she hasn't gone past the QF of a slam. (Neither had Ostapenko but nobody saw that one coming, Svitolina choked that huge lead against Halep at the French QF so who knows what she can do). I would LOVE for Muguruza to win but have no idea where her fitness is at. Garcia, no clue where she's at either after retiring in Brisbane. I can't wait for this slam, very excited.

Svitolina only really came to the fore after the Aussie Open last year, she did choke the lead against Halep, also against Keys in the US at 4-2 in the third, when it was wide open for her after that match, so she has to get past certain hurdles. She looks like she is serving bigger and better and that should help her, I think she is probably potentially the best all rounder on the women's tour moving forward but she needs to perform in the big games. I agree it should be a cracking slam, fast courts though don't often produce great women's Tennis. They seem to play better on slower surfaces.

 

[tennisenthusiast]

Cara Black tips Wozniacki to win the Australian Open.

With good reason, her draw is crazy good.

1R Buzarnescu, 2R Eguchi/Fett, 3R Bertens, 4R Pavs/Rybarikova, QF Ostapenko/Domi/Coco, SF Svitolina/Venus/Sloane/Goerges.

Wouldn't have to face Pliskova, Halep, Sharapova, Konta, Muguruza or Kerber til the final.

Wozniacki can't and wouldn't win a slam. Period. I'm am going with Kerber who is slam material.

 

[WDC]

Svitolina is probably the favorite because she arguable the easiest possible Draw to the QF. There she may have Venus waiting but when she played her on a hardcourt last year she beat her 6-2 6-1. Woz as the possible SF opponent who she is 3-1 against including 2-1 on hardcourts (with both her wins being in straight sets) and then the winner of the top half bloodbath in the Finals. Sure she has never been past the 3rd round but on paper she has the easiest possible road, with Woz being a close 2nd.

Venus being low makes sense to me, maybe not that that low though. She has 2 finals here 14 years apart, the possibility of having to go through Svitolina and Wozniacki (who both beat her in straights the last time she played them) to get to the finals, then she needs to win the final. She just lost to Kerber in a tune up in the 2nd round as well. Sure she has a lot of positives going for her, But I can see her not being called the outright favorite to win the title as well. I wouldn't say she has lower odds than any of Sharapova, Coco, Konta, Keys or Gorges. She should be above them

Williams would have won last year had her sister not been there, on a fast court she has to be a major contender she still strikes the ball as well as anyone. Woz and Svitolina beat her on slower hardcourts, on a quick deck Williams is a good bet.

 

[Deleted member 293577]

The betting odds for the womens champ is crazy.

Svitolina - $8
Halep - $9
Wozniacki - $10
Kerber - $11
Pliskova - $11
Muguruza - $13
Sharapova - $15
Coco - $19
Konta, Goerges, Keys - $21
Kvitova - $23
Venus - $26
Barty - $31
Garcia - $34
Bencic, Ostapenko - $41
Domi, Sloane - $51

Svitolina the favourite? Never gone past the 3R, never made a slam SF. Bizzare.
Halep 2nd favourite? I guess it makes sense as she's the top top seed but she's lost 1R in the last 2 years and has never made the SF.
Woz 3rd fav makes sense with her great draw as does Kerber and Pliskova.
I'm stunned by Sharapova being 7th favourite considering she has to face Sevastova 2R who beat her at the USO and then in form Kerber 3R.
Kvitova at 12th? Hasn't gone past the 3R since making the SF in 2012. In questionable form.
Venus all the way down at 13th is shocking. Defending finalist, top 5, USO finalist and WTA finals finalist.. Odd. Behind Venus? Strange

I would have to agree with the top three. I think Svitolina and Halep are the ones to beat with the slight edge to Svitolina, solely because she looked so sharp in her preps.

Kerber at $11? I think that is being optimistic, she has much to prove yet in my opinion, last year was a disaster. I think Coco and Venus are both under priced, certainly Venus anyways. I wouldn't be surprised to see Coco in the finals, although not sure she has the nerves yet to win a slam. If Pliskova plays 7 matches in a row to her abilities, she will be tough to beat. But I don't see her playing 7 in a row. Muguruza looked good, but a little shaky in her preps, not sure she is slam-ready.

Kiki and Genie will lose in the first round, to keep the streaks alive!

 

[SeeingDusk]

bellis!

 

[Marius_Hancu]

Rain the whole day in Hobart, as in Melbourne:

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/victoria/melbourne

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/tasmania/hobart

 

[tennisenthusiast]

Rain the whole day in Hobart, as in Melbourne:

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/victoria/melbourne

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/tasmania/hobart

Rain in Melbourne today?

 

[gogo]

Rain the whole day in Hobart, as in Melbourne:

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/victoria/melbourne

https://www.theweathernetwork.com/au/hourly-weather-forecast/tasmania/hobart

Marius, it seems that Francoise is not impressed that you supposed to provide her coaching advice. Are you a coach?

https://twitter.com/franckie12345/status/951419402028634114

I've also seen you post "advice" for other pros. I'm assuming that you are a professional coach otherwise you wouldn't be posting these comments on social media. I'm not sure the recipients are receiving your advice well. Perhaps you should approach them personally and not provide advice via social media?

 

[spystud]

That. Is. Awesome.


Great find, gogo.

 

[gogo]

That. Is. Awesome.


Great find, gogo.

I don't consider it "a find". I actually believe that Marius means well and knows something about tennis. (Way more than I do.) My call out was more about his approach.

 

[gogo]

deleted (duplicate post)

 

[gogo]

That. Is. Awesome.


Great find, gogo.

Deleted. duplicate post.