Tennis: Upsets in Store in Women’s Draw at Australian Open

Al Dannity says get ready for carnage. A pile of upsets look on the cards in the early rounds of the Australian Open, giving great opportunities for value picks.

Down go the big names
I’m calling two huge upsets right here, right now, in the top quarter of the draw. Caroline Wozniacki (#1 seed) and Kim Clijsters (#11 seed) are both carrying huge injuries. Wozniacki is struggling with an inflammation in her left wrist while Clijsters has big concerns with her hip. The Dane has a soft enough draw through the first three rounds but in the fourth I see her falling hard against Lucie Safarova (#24 seed). No matter who the Dane faces, the wear and tear of the first week should see her bow out in the last 16.

With Clijsters I’m going to pick exit for even earlier in the tournament. The Belgian is the defending champion but physically she is a wreck right now. Overcoming a qualifier in the first round is achievable. Beating a healthy Elena Baltacha in the second? I don’t think so. Look for Baltacha to pull off the biggest single win by a British female player in decades in round two.

Quadrant of death
Who did Maria Sharapova (#4 seed) anger to get this kind of a draw? The Russian superstar has been put into unquestionably the most difficult quarter of the draw. Vera Zvonareva (#7 seed), Serena Williams (#12 seed), Sabine Lisicki (#14 seed), and the in-form Kaia Kanepi (#25 seed) are all in MaSha’s quadrant. Even her first round opponent, Gisela Dulko, won’t be a pushover. That said, Tennis betting fans saw Sharapova come through an unfavorable draw in Wimbledon and she can do so again here. I expect a few upsets to help clear the road for Sharapova as she marches into the semi-finals.

Stosur and Kvitova’s date with destiny
The winners of the last two Grand Slams of 2011 are lined up to meet in the quarter finals in Melbourne. Home-grown hero Sam Stosur will surely be the crowd favorite but I don’t see the #6 seed lifting the trophy Down Under. Instead the inconsistent but genial Petra Kvitova (#2 seed) is my pick to win it all in Australia. Kvitova stumbled for a couple of months after claiming the title at Wimbledon. The Czech gathered herself at the end of the season and looks focussed going into the first slam of the year. When she’s on her game there’s no-one who can match Kvitova right now, making her my pick for Melbourne.