Australian Open 2013: Most Disappointing Showings Thus Far in Melbourne

The tennis world expected names like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Caroline Wozniak to make deep runs in the 2013 Australian Open, but what it didn't expect was a handful of disappointing showings from some of the best talents to take the court in Melbourne.

The great thing about sports is that there's always the possibility for upsets and disappointment, and we've seen plenty of it thus far at the Aussie Open.

Let's examine three players who were expected to make it further in the 2013 Australian Open:

Sam Stosur

As the No. 9-ranked women's tennis player in the world, Sam Stosur was supposed to make a deep run at the 2013 Australian Open.

Instead, the Australian star was ousted in the second round by China's Jie Zheng, something which Stosur knows was an immense letdown, according to the Herald Sun:

"5-2 up in the third set, it probably was a bit of a choke...You make an error and you tighten up. Unfortunately, it kept happening point after point. Crazy things pop into your head."

It was certainly a disappointing loss for the 28-year-old home crowd favorite, who ended up losing to Zheng, 6-4 1-6 7-5, especially after cruising through the first round over Kai-Chen Chang.

Fernando Verdasco

On the men's side, Spaniard Fernando Verdasco was projected to make some noise in the Aussie Open.

Instead, he was taken down by South Africa's Kevin Anderson (h/t ESPN Tennis Twitter account):

"

Former University of Illinois standout Kevin Anderson has upset No. 22 Fernando Verdasco in the third round #AusOpen #ESPNTennis

— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) January 18, 2013"

It certainly was an upset for the world's 25th-ranked men's tennis player, who lost a hard-fought match with Anderson, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6, 6-2.

While this doesn't equal something like Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic losing in the third round, it's certainly a shock to see Verdasco out before the fourth round begins.

Venus Williams

Venus Williams is one of the most inconsistent athletes in all of sports and she continued to prove that theory in the 2013 Aussie Open.

After dominant performances against Galina Voskoboeva (6-1, 6-0) and Alize Cornet (6-3, 6-3), Williams was crushed 6-1, 6-3 by Maria Sharapova in the third round.

As an ESPN article wrote:

"Williams could consider herself fortunate -- Sharapova's opponents in her first two matches failed to win a game from the Russian star."

But are we really ready to consider a seven-time major champion and pioneer for women's tennis lucky to have won a game?

I'm surely not.

It was a disappointing performance for Venus Williams in the 2013 Australian Open.

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