Australian Open 2012: Breaking Down the Tournament's Biggest Disappointments

There are huge names still alive at the Australian Open, but the tournament has still had its share of flops. Which players' performances left us feeling emptiest? Well, here is a breakdown of the biggest losers in Australia.

Serena Williams

America's greatest hope for a title in Australia fell miserably short. The most booty-ful girl in the world (and I mean that as the sincerest compliment) fell to unseeded and unheralded Ekaterina Makarova in straight sets.

The 6-2, 6-3 defeat made it appear that the days of Williams' just popping in to win the Grand Slams has passed. If Serena is to still compete at the age of 30, she must dedicate herself to a more regular schedule. 

That seems unlikely at this point in her life. Therefore, it's likely that the dominance is over as well.

Samantha Stosur

After winning the US Open, hopes were high for Stosur. Her stint did not last long. The Australian-born Stosur was sent packing in round one. Unseeded Sorana Cirstea eliminated the sixth-seeded Stosur on the first day of the tournament. Obviously, the loss is much worse, considering she is an Australian native.

Stosur will need to rebound quickly. She has never played well in Melbourne, with the fourth round being her deepest advancement. She had hoped 2012 would be different, but it was her worst result since 2005. The pressure of performing in front of her home crowd continues to crush her.

Caroline Wozniacki

The world's number one female player has still yet to win a Grand Slam. In fact, she's only made one final in her seven-year career. How long will she maintain her current ranking with her persistent failure to reach even the finals of major tournaments?

Most recently, Wozniacki lost to defending champion Kim Clijsters in this year's Quarterfinal. Wozniacki is one of only three players in the WTA's history to ever reach the top ranking despite never winning a Grand Slam. Jelena Jankovic and Dinara Safina are the other two. Wozniacki and Jankovic have reached only one final in their careers.

Wozniacki's reign won't make it long past 18 weeks if she doesn't turn it around soon.

Biggest Fail

Easily, it's Samantha Stosur. For a sixth seed to fall in the first round in front of her home crowd is pretty bad. There were other epic fails, but that one tops them all.

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