2015 Australian Open: Bold Predictions for the 2nd Week

Nobody expected Roger Federer to lose in the third round, but the second week has plenty of top stars remaining in both the men's and women's bracket of the 2015 Australian Open. There will be wars and surprises.

Will Serena Williams survive a rocky road to win her 19th major title? Is Rafael Nadal back as a legitimate title contender? Can anyone stop Novak Djokovic?

There are other developing stories with the likes of defending champion Stanislas Wawrinka. There are young players looking to break through for majors including Kei Nishikori, Eugenie Bouchard and Simona Halep.

We didn't even mention Maria Sharapova. Indeed, there is plenty of star power to go around.

Nobody has a crystal ball, and there are many possible, plausible scenarios to decide Melbourne's Grand Slam title. But we are going to hazard a few bold guesses anyway. Perhaps one or two of these stories will materialize as the real excitement boils into a terrific stretch run of championship tennis.

Defending Champion Stanislas Wawrinka Will Self-Destruct

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Ironman Stan was listed as our third favorite seed pre-tournament, but the defending Aussie Open champion is not going to repeat. If he gets by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, he will have a draining quarterfinals match against either David Ferrer or Kei Nishikori. Then there is Novak Djokovic waiting in the semifinals.

The thing to admire about Wawrinka is that he will go down swinging. He's going to line up his strong backhand and grill his recently improved forehand. When he gets in trouble, he will hit even harder.

And that will be his undoing. Wawrinka looks great when his mechanics are clicking in high gear, but when his timing is off, he can suddenly find it difficult to keep the ball in the court.

Last year's Davis Cup match against Andrey Golubev saw him cough up 70 unforced errors in only four sets. His opening-round loss at the French Open was another disaster when he spewed out 62 unforced errors.

It's risk-reward tennis for Wawrinka, but it's also what he has to do. He must somehow live on the edge of controlled chaos. This time around, it's not going to work. He will chalk up at least 50 errors as he goes down gamely to a more efficient victor. No shame in that.

Serena Williams Will Not Get to the Final

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The conventional wisdom in defeating Serena Williams in a major is to do it early. Often, it's done by a less heralded player or someone who puts together the perfect day in a sort of Serena ambush.

Serena is always the favorite for her matches, but this time she is facing a tougher lineup of stars that could add up to more minutes, more shots and less margin for error. We are taking the field in the top half of her bracket.

After Garbine Muguruza in the fourth round, Dominika Cibulkova will be waiting. Cibulkova is once again hitting her stride in Australia (even if she celebrated far too vociferously after defeating Victoria Azarenka) and though she cannot match up with Serena's power, her tenacity and capacity to extend rallies could put more wear and tear on Serena for a semifinal match.

Then there would be Agnieszka Radwanska who has to break through at some point. Maybe Serena will have to play an emotional encounter against older sister Venus.

There would still be a final to play, but our bold prediction says Serena will not get there.

Nick Kyrgios Will Upset Andy Murray in the Quarterfinals

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It seems inconceivable that Australian native Nick Kyrgios could defeat Andy Murray in the quarterfinals. First, Kyrgios had to rally back from match point down to defeat Andreas Seppi in an emotionally and physically demanding match.

Furthermore, Andy Murray, who was not playing well last summer, absolutely blistered Kyrgios 6-2, 6-2 at the Canadian Open. That after all the hoopla of Kyrgios' Wimbledon conquest of Nadal. Right now, Murray is playing his best tennis since summer 2013.

But tennis momentum can dissipate quickly when a big server gets on a roll. Kyrgios needs to be sharp with his serve, but he also has a huge forehand that promises greatness once harnessed. And if he learns to cut back on strange risks like lobbing crosscourt backhands, he will eventually put together a wonderful package of Grand Slam=winning tennis.

The 19-year-old Kyrgios is also not lacking in confidence. Murray noted as much to the ATP World Tour:

"

I didn't feel like I was going to win these events when I was that age, but I read that he felt like he could win the Australian Open this year a few weeks ago. So he obviously backs himself a lot.

"

Murray is the safe bet in this match. And he has usually played well in Australia, a three-time finalist here who has battled more than his share of big matches. He would figure to be the savvier player, the one with the defensive acumen and the patience to grind out a tough match.

But if Kyrgios unleashes his power and rides the energy at Rod Laver Arena, it could be another step in the young, rising legend of a future star. Let's see if it happens this time around.

Tomas Berdych Will Finally Beat Rafael Nadal

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There really is no logical reason that Tomas Berdych should beat Rafael Nadal. After all, he has lost 17 consecutive matches to the Spanish legend and has often been the counter example to Nadal's mental toughness in big major matches.

So why could Berdych finally win their impending quarterfinals match?

First, Berdych is quietly on a roll, ripping through his section of the draw in straight sets, even humiliating Australian Bernard Tomic in straight sets in front of a packed house. His strokes are clean, and he has the firepower to bother and hit through Nadal. It's just a matter of when he puts it all together.

Second, Nadal, who is coming off a terrific result against Kevin Anderson, has still been spotty, as we would expect in his return to form. He missed several early passes and was able to win shorter points against the more leaden-footed Anderson. Berdych's groundstrokes are much better than Anderson's, and Nadal is going to need to be very sharp with his footwork and depth of shots.

In the Anderson match, it looked as if Nadal rolled easily in the final two sets, but much of that was Anderson packing it in, at least subconsciously. (Nadal has a way of doing this to second-level players.) I'm impressed with Nadal's progress the past week, but I'm still not convinced that Nadal is Nadal. He is still vulnerable.

But everyone's number comes up some time. Case in point was David Ferrer finally taking down Nadal at Monte Carlo after what seemed like half a century of futility on red clay. Call it a hunch and nothing more. This time Berdych will get it done.

Hype Surrounding Maria vs. Eugenie Will Fall Flat

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Get ready for media hype, photo shoots and possible rivalries between sponsors when young cash cow Eugenie Bouchard takes on the queen of endorsements, Maria Sharapova. The hyperbole and gushing over the present and future of women's tennis will create enough hot air to lift Rod Laver Arena into the Great Barrier Reef.

The match could be spectacular as Sharapova grits her teeth and grunts her way to a thrilling duel with the upstart youngster. Maybe Bouchard puts on a show and her army of fans showers her with native wombats and kangaroos.

But it's hard to see Sharapova giving in. This time, she will make this an easy win, demolishing the younger star and setting her sights on the more sound Simona Halep.

Simona Halep Will Lose Another Final

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There's a bit of Agnieszka Radwanska and Martina Hingis in Simona Halep's tennis. But while the former is still searching for her first major, the latter was a star who had early success before bigger hitters curtailed much of her momentum.

And that's also what could be developing with Halep. She has the luxury of playing away from the impending quarterfinal hype of Maria Sharapova vs. Eugenie Bouchard. Halep should be primed to swoop in and defeat the emotionally drained winner.

But this will not be enough to win the Australian Open title.

Halep, like last year's runner-up Dominika Cibulkova, will be overpowered in another final. She will keep contending, but that first major is not going to be easy. She will ride her consistency, keep creating semifinal and final opportunities and one day will hold a major trophy.

Just not next week.

Novak Djokovic Will Not Lose More Than Two Sets

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Last Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic needed a little extra magic on his way to the championship. His fifth Australian Open title will be a slam dunk. He will not lose more than two sets and will not see a fifth set in any match.

This is more than riding a favorite to the title. The thing to remember about Djokovic is that he competes so hard each match. He is not going to have a let-up.

In the first week, he sped through his first two matches, eked out a first set against tough veteran Fernando Verdasco and then tore him up.

Djokovic will look forward to the challenge of breaking Milos Raonic's cannon serve because he is the best returner in the game.

He will lick his chops at a potential revenge match against Stanislas Wawrinka or Kei Nishikori in the semifinals, and he will be too much for whoever comes out of the bottom bracket.

The World No. 1 is exactly that right now at the peak of his career. He's not going to be denied his eighth overall major title, and there's a good chance his sharp groundstrokes and defensive tenacity will dominate the field. He won't need to pull out a close match.

Even Boris Becker will not be a factor. He can sit back in the sun, fold his arms and smile. It will look like an easy coaching job.

Venus Williams Will Shock the World

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These are supposed to be "bold predictions," right? By late week, maybe only a couple of these will turn out, but we are shooting for the moon for the ultimate prize this week in women's tennis.

Yes, Venus Williams, not Serena, will win the Australian Open.

Venus' return to being a contender has been in the works with more consistent tennis and bigger wins at certain spots in 2014. She won Dubai last February, played great at the Canada Open and took the Auckland title a couple weeks ago.

Her rise has been a near-miracle in itself, after persevering through Sjogren's Syndrome, which interrupted her late prime years. The seven-time major winner in singles has not won such a major since Wimbledon 2008.

So to win the Australian Open nearly seven years after her last major, and a title she has never held, well that's as big a story as can be conjectured. But her groundstrokes and serve are doing well. She looks fit, and she carries her former legend into her role as an underdog.

It's unlikely that her next opponent, Agnieszka Radwanska, is looking forward to playing the 18th-seeded Venus. Of course, if Radwanska does win, this slide will go up in flames.