Tennis News

In undoubtedly one of the more intriguing match-ups of the day, top seed Caroline Wozniacki will cross paths with American youngster Taylor Townsend in the second round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. This marks the first time the two competitors will meet on the WTA tour and could make for an enthralling encounter on Wednesday afternoon.

In her opening match of the season, Danish star Caroline Wozniacki faced a relatively simple challenge on court: Israeli qualifier Julia Glushko. Woz defeated her first-time opponent 6-3, 6-2 without breaking much of a sweat. Given this is just her second time playing this event, she is clearly happy with her performance and is motivated to live up to her billing as the top seed.

“Maybe it wasn’t the prettiest match, but I got through and I won it,” Wozniacki commented. “The first match is always tough. I served well, but I want to keep playing better as the week goes on. I love the crowd here, though. They made me feel very welcome. I love everybody here.”

“I love it here. I haven’t been back to Auckland for many years, but it’s such a great place to start the season, and I’m excited to play and get the 2015 season going here.”

Wozniacki’s upcoming opponent, Taylor Townsend, took part in a significant upset during the opening day of action, as she defeated former champion Yanina Wickmayer in the first round of the tournament. The wildcard entrant proved worthy of the tournament’s faith in her and dispatched her opponent in three stes, 7-5, 3-6, 6-0 to set up a second round clash with the top seed.

“Her game is very fun to play against, just because it makes you play every point – point to point to point,” she said about Wozniacki. “She doesn’t give you any mistakes.”

This is scheduled to be the first official meeting between Wozniacki and Townsend and is one of the main attention-grabbing matches at any of the four events on the tour this Wednesday. Given Townsend’s rise up the ranks and her clear potential, the pressure will be on Wozniacki to prove she is still the main player to watch out for in the draw.

Prediction: Caroline Wozniacki in Three Sets

After a difficult start to his 2015 season in an exhibition event in Abu Dhabi, Rafael Nadal will continue his gradual return to top form, starting with strong showings in the opening week on the ATP World Tour. The Spaniard will begin his campaign at the Qatar Exxon Mobil Open with a match-up against Germany’s Michael Berrer, whom Nadal has faced twice previously on the tour. Nadal leads the head-to-head series 2-0.

The world No. 3 began his year at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships, where British No. 1 Andy Murray bludgeoned him in alarming fashion. However, while he only won two games against Murray on Friday, he was able to defeat Stan Wawrinka 7-6(1), 6-3 to secure third place at the event.

The Spaniard made it clear that he does not expect perfect performance this early in the season given his plague of injuries and recent surgeries. He does, however, want to perform at him best and remain competitive atop the rankings.

“My goal is try to be competitive in every tournament that I’m going to play,” he said. “It’s normal that I’m going to need some time. But I’m happy; I’m practising well and working very hard. I’m doing the right things with the right attitude.

“I hope to be ready to compete here, and then if I am able to spend some time on court, every moment on court will help me [and] will be positive for my future. [I’m] going to try to play the best tournament possible.” Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych and David Ferrer also compete at the ATP World Tour 250 tournament.”

His opponent, Michael Berrer, sits at No. 127 in the rankings and is unlikely to present much of a challenge for Nadal. Of their two previous meetings, Nadal has lost a total of four games to the German, which bodes well for his chances of reaching the second round of the tournament with relative ease.

Prediction: Rafael Nadal in Straight Sets

A contest pitting two Russians is scheduled to take place in the second round of the Brisbane International on Tuesday afternoon, as world No. 2 Maria Sharapova and fellow countrywoman Yaroslava Shvedova are scheduled to meet for the second time on the professional tour. Sharapova leads the head-to-head series 1-0 and will look to remain undefeated against the Moscow-native.

Maria Sharapova took part in a fantastc 2014 season – a year that saw her return from shoulder surgery and lift her fifth Grand Slam title at the French Open. Apart from simply returning to the professional circuit at full health after shoulder surgery – Sharapova’s only initial goal for the season – the Russian superstar was able to achieve far for during several memorable runs this year. She lifted titles in Stuttgart, Madrid, and Beijing, apart from her second French Open title, all of which boosted her to world No. 2 in the rankings.

She will now look to maintain that momentum throughout the new year, starting with the challenging draw at the Brisbane International.

“It’s one of the toughest fields in the three tournaments that are going on around the globe for the women’s tour this week,” Sharapova commented. “You always want to start off with the toughest competition. It’s a tournament I love coming back to – I tried to play here for many years and it was my first time on court here last year, so it’s great to be back. I had a wonderful experience.

“I’m looking forward to getting the year started on a good note.”

World No. 66 Yaroslava Shvedova began her season with a surprising upset victory over Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on Monday afternoon. After losing the first set 6-0, Shvedova rebounded in style to close out the contest 0-6, 7-5, 6-4. She will look to carry that confidence over to her second match of the season against Sharapova.

This marks the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, and the first time in over five years. Their last meeting took place in 2009 at the French Open. This is their first meeting on a hard court and will likely favour Sharapova, although it could last three sets.

Prediction: Maria Sharapova in Three Sets

Former world No. 1 Venus Williams is refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to embark on another fruitful season on the WTA tour. Following her remarkable return to form in 2014, the American will be keen to start the season right with some strong showings at the ASB Classic in Auckland, starting with Jana Cepelova on Monday afternoon. This marks just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Williams leading the head to head series 1-0.

After taking part in a great year on the tour, one that included titles and even a runner-up finish in the Rogers Cup in Montreal, Venus Williams is in the Top 20 on the WTA tour for the first time since 2010. However, she has not contested a match on court since an illness forced her out of the China Open three months ago. Given that she is a runner-up last year at this event, she will be looking duplicate her efforts this season.

“Last year was so amazing and I got so close – just ran into a better player. It was the first of four finals for me last year. I was just reflecting on that as I came through security, I was like ‘last year wasn’t bad’. I’d love to make it a lot better.

“I’m happy to be back here, I definitely feel the energy and I’ve been hitting well and I’m looking forward to getting started.”

World No. 57 Jana Cepelova reached the final in Charleston last year and completed semi-final showings in Osprey, Bastad and Suzhou. She also managed to reach the second round of the US Open for the first time in her career.

This marks just the second time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour, with Williams leading the series 1-0. The American defeated her Slovakian adversary at the Cincinnati Masters event back in 2013. While it is always difficult to gauge a player’s preparedness in their first match of the season, particularly the inconsistent Venus, it is likely that she will edge Cepelova in a close straight sets battle.

Prediction: Venus Williams in Straight Sets

After lifting the title for the first time in his career last season with a victory over 17-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, Lleyton Hewitt has returned to the Brisbane International to defend his title and start his 2015 season on the right track. The Australian will begin his year with a match-up against fellow countryman Sam Groth, a youngster with a notable upside to his game.

The two-time Grand Slam champion and 30 title winner will commence yet another year on the professional tour – one that will be filled with challenges, including younger competitors from his own nation. Apart from Groth, Hewitt will have to maintain his spot against Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios, both of whom are hungry and ambitious players. After lifting his first title on Australian soil since 2005 here last season, Hewitt is focused on retaining that crown before looking ahead.

“It’s great to be back,” said Hewitt,. “I like playing all the tournaments in Australia and [I’m] obviously coming back from such good memories here last year.

“In my off season I always work pretty hard so I feel comfortable and I’m happy with how the body is feeling at the moment,” said Hewitt. “I’ve just got to go out there and play my game and hopefully execute. I’ve been training really hard and doing all the right things.”

World No. 81 Sam Groth has drawn Hewitt in his first professional match of the year. A win would be a significant upset over the defending champion, while a loss would simply be expected at this point in time. However, Groth does believe he is a considerable foe across the net.

“I definitely think the guys see me as a dangerous player – especially early in tournaments and early in the year. I don’t know too many guys [who] want to see me throwing rockets down at them and getting into the net and lot letting them find much rhythm.”

This marks the first time that these two competitors will meet on the professional tour. Based on Hewitt’s resume and his past performances at this event, he should remain the favourite to win this contest and advance to the next round.

Prediction: Lleyton Hewitt in Straight Sets

After taking part in a disappointing, injury-plagued season on the tour, former top-ranked talent Victoria Azarenka will begin her 2015 season at the Brisbane International, where she will contest an opening round match against Karolina Pliskova. The Belarusian leads the head-to-head series 1-0.

The former world No. 1 concluded her 2014 season after withdrawing from the Wuhan Open. She finished her year ranked outside the Top 20 for the first time in seven years after missing seven scheduled events and dealing with a slew of injuries over the year. She also went through a depressing period in her life but is happy to have worked her way out of it.

“I feel great, you know those things you go through in life,” she said. “It is just because you are a public person and sometimes you feel like you don’t want to have it out in the open for people to discuss. You have to find your own way through it and I found my way to be happy regardless of what the situation is.”

As for this season, Azarenka hopes to get off to a strong start like she did last year when she finished runner-up to Serena Williams at the tournament. It was downhill from there but she is determined to make 2015 a different season – starting with a strong performance against Karolina Pliskova on Monday.

World No. 23 Karolina Pliskova had an impressive year on the tour in 2015, where she won two titles and finished with a 54-29 record for the year. She reached the third round of the US Open and the second round of the remaining Grand Slam tournaments, which was an improvement from previous years. She will hope to maintain her upward trajectory in 2015, beginning with a victory over a former world No. 1.

This marks just the second time that these two competitors will cross paths on the professional tour, with Azarenka leading the series 1-0. Not only will be it be difficult to effectively gauge the winner ahead of their first match of the season, it will be particularly difficult with Azarenka, who has not been in a professional tennis match since September.

Prediction: Karolina Pliskova in Three Sets