Australian Open 2015: Complete Predictions for Men's and Women's Draws
The long wait for the first Grand Slam of the new season is finally over, and the 2015 Australian Open is sure to kick off the new year in style.
The biggest names in tennis have flocked Down Under for the first taste of high-stakes action since the U.S. Open, and there's really no telling how things will unfold. Some players have been working tirelessly over the short offseason to be ready, while others may come in rusty.
Defending men's champion Stan Wawrinka will attempt to beat the odds yet again and get past a field containing Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, among others. On the women's side, there will be a new champion crowned after last year's winner Li Na retired from tennis in September.
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While the top names in tennis tend to dominate these types of events, the Australian Open has typically been an exception to the rule. While we may not see a first-time Slam champion crowned, don't be surprised if a few underdogs make a deep run.
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | Serena Williams |
| 2 | Roger Federer | Maria Sharapova |
| 3 | Rafael Nadal | Simona Halep |
| 4 | Stan Wawrinka | Petra Kvitova |
| 5 | Kei Nishikori | Ana Ivanovic |
| 6 | Andy Murray | Agnieszka Radwanska |
| 7 | Tomas Berdych | Eugenie Bouchard |
| 8 | Milos Raonic | Caroline Wozniacki |
| 9 | David Ferrer | Angelique Kerber |
| 10 | Grigor Dimitrov | Ekaterina Makarova |
| 11 | Ernests Gulbis | Dominika Cibulkova |
| 12 | Feliciano Lopez | Flavia Pennetta |
| 13 | Roberto Bautista Agut | Andrea Petkovic |
| 14 | Kevin Anderson | Sara Errani |
| 15 | Tommy Robredo | Jelena Jankovic |
| 16 | Fabio Fognini | Lucie Safarova |
| 17 | Gael Monfils | Carla Suarez-Navarro |
| 18 | Gilles Simon | Venus Williams |
| 19 | John Isner | Alize Cornet |
| 20 | David Goffin | Samantha Stosur |
| 21 | Alexandr Dolgopolov | Peng Shuai |
| 22 | Philipp Kohlschreiber | Karolina Pliskova |
| 23 | Ivo Karlovic | Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova |
| 24 | Richard Gasquet | Garbine Muguruza |
| 25 | Julien Benneteau | Barbora Zahlavova-Strycova |
| 26 | Leonardo Mayer | Elina Svitolina |
| 27 | Pablo Cuevas | Svetlana Kuznetsova |
| 28 | Lukas Rosol | Sabine Lisicki |
| 29 | Jeremy Chardy | Casey Dellacqua |
| 30 | Santiago Giraldo | Varvara Lepchenko |
| 31 | Fernando Verdasco | Zarina Diyas |
| 32 | Martin Klizan | Belinda Bencic |
Note: Here are interactive schedules of the men's draw and women's draw, courtesy of AusOpen.com.
Men's Draw
Djokovic's dominance at the Australian Open may not touch the careers of Nadal at Roland Garros or Federer at the All England Club, but it's the next best thing. That's what made the 2014 event so surprising.
The Serbian entered the 2014 season with a fourth straight Australian Open title in his sights, but it was thrust to the wayside when Stan Wawrinka upset him in a five-set quarterfinal thriller. Wawrinka wasn't done there after the inspiring victory, going on to win his first Slam.
Djokovic's relatively early exit didn't keep him from reclaiming the top seed for this year's event. And another potential meeting with Wawrinka won't trip him up this time around.
After his painful defeat in Melbourne, Djokovic didn't play around when he met Wawrinka in Britain's ATP World Tour Finals, drubbing him 6-3, 6-0. Wawrinka is the only player capable of stopping the Serbian in his half of the bracket, and Djokovic will be up for the challenge.
Across the aisle, it's a three-headed fight (presumably) for a chance to face Djokovic in the final, as second-seed Federer, No. 3 Nadal and No. 6 Murray duke it out.
Murray's stock has fallen minimally after an inconsistent 2014, and he's set for a quarterfinal exit, as he's slated to face Federer, who ended 2014 as well as he started and is playing among the best tennis of anyone:
While Federer and Djokovic are peaking heading into the Australian Open, Nadal is anything but, as he attempts to get back to top form coming off an injury-riddled 2014. He even admitted to being rusty heading into the tournament.
"Every match is tough when you are in shape, so imagine when you have hardly played for six or seven months," Nadal told Phil Casey of Press Association, via the Daily Mail. "I have to try my best, play with the best attitude and if things are not going the best, I must try to be very positive and help myself to be competitive."
Nadal's sheer will should keep him from suffering another early round defeat at the year's first Slam, but expending so much energy early on will leave him unable to overcome Tomas Berdych in the quarterfinals.
Djokovic will be put to the test in the final against Federer, who is desperately searching for an elusive 18th Grand Slam victory. But the Serbian has had Federer's number in Slam finals over the course of recent history and will conquer him again to add another Australian Open title.
Quarterfinal predictions: Djokovic def. Raonic, Wawrinka def. Simon, Berdych def. Nadal, Federer def. Murray
Final prediction: Djokovic beats Federer in five sets
Women's Draw
Any time the best players in women's tennis are gearing up for a run at a Slam trophy, the conversation always begins with one Serena Williams.
Few have enjoyed the sort of dominance at one Slam Williams has in Melbourne, having won the event five times in her career—tied for the second most at any Slam. But the success just hasn't been there lately; she hasn't won there since 2010.
Williams has also found getting to the latter stages of a Slam difficult, and that will be the case again this year, as USA Today's Nick McCarvel noted:
"The top seed and world No. 1, Williams drew a difficult journey Thursday for the first major tennis tournament of the year, with potential matchups against two former Grand Slam finalists in the first four rounds.
Good friend Caroline Wozniacki could meet Williams in the quarterfinals. If she makes it to the semifinals, Serena could face two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, or even her sister Venus Williams. No. 2 seed Maria Sharapova looms as a possible foe in the final.
"
She's slated to face Wozniacki in the quarters if both make it through, but that's far from a given for last year's U.S. Open finalist. As Live Tennis reported, Wozniacki is set to face unseeded-but-dangerous Victoria Azarenka in the second round:
"#Wozniacki and #Azarenka could clash in the second round of the Australian Open! The draw: http://t.co/JzrxXxyAZI pic.twitter.com/1lHlHFyZnF
— Live Tennis (@livetennis) January 16, 2015"
Seeing Wozniacki advance to face Williams may be tough to envision, given what's in front of both players, but each has the power and speed to get there with relative ease. But while they're buddies off the court, Williams has dominated Wozniacki on it and has a 10-1 record against her in all competitions.
After slipping past Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova to reach the final, last year's phenom will be waiting to dethrone Williams.
Eugenie Bouchard barely failed to break through at Wimbledon in 2014 and spent the rest of the year struggling to get back, but a full offseason will do wonders for her. Although she's a bigger focus for opponents, the seventh seed will be ready to dominate.
“Of course I know I’m in a different position this year," Bouchard told The Independent's Paul Newman. "Last year I was more hunting and now I’m more like the hunted. I probably have a bit more of a target on my back. But I see that as motivating. As they say, it’s hard to get there but even harder to stay there. So that’s my challenge.”
After getting her feet wet with No. 9 Angelique Kerber, Bouchard will be ready for the ultimate test of toppling Maria Sharapova. The Canadian has never beaten the No. 2 seed but has only faced her three times, and that lack of familiarity will benefit Bouchard.
She will be all out of luck when the final comes and she faces Williams, however. The American is capable of being overtaken in early rounds of Slams, but she's almost impossible to stop once she has reached the final.
Quarterfinal predictions: Williams def. Wozniacki, Kvitova def. Radwanska, Ivanovic def. Lisicki, Bouchard def. Sharapova
Final prediction: Williams beats Bouchard in two sets
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