Australian Open 2008 undoubtedly signaled the dawning of the year of the Serb. Today the Belgrade-born trio of Jelena Jankovic, Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic, whose feats Down Under transformed their homeland into a tennis superpower, will fight tooth and nail to defend that territory.
Women’s world No. 1 Jankovic kicks off her campaign against Austria’s Yvonne Meusburger in the second match on Rod Laver Arena.
The 2008 semifinalist is followed on court by defending champion and No. 3 men’s seed Djokovic, taking on qualifier Andrea Stoppini of Italy. Meanwhile, over on Hisense Arena, women’s No. 5 seed Ivanovic opens proceedings against Julia Goerges of Germany.
While these early skirmishes look relatively straightforward, all three would be wise to keep an eye out for a veritable army of athletes eager to have Melbourne Park plastered in their national colours come February 1.
Home interest is at fever pitch, with nine Aussie women and seven men contesting the tournament. The draw has been cruel to the locals, however - Casey Dellacqua plays No.19 seed Daniela Hantuchova in the first of the tournament’s night matches, and unseeded Lleyton Hewitt has to wait a day before his date with No.13 seed and 2007 finalist Fernando Gonzalez.
The draw was more sympathetic towards Aussie No.1 Sam Stosur. She faces world No.72 Klara Zakopalova in the first round, while local eyes will also be on 17-year-old prospect Bernard Tomic, comeback queen Jelena Dokic, and 2007 junior champion Brydan Klein, all embarking on their Open odysseys today.
With eight males and 14 females in the draw, Russia’s representation is outstanding. As the highest seeded of the men, No.18 Igor Andreev would be the smoky to end all smokies if he claimed the Norman Brookes trophy in a fortnight’s time, while Marat Safin – playing Ivan Navarro – claims this is his farewell Australian appearance.
Of the eight seeded Russian women in the draw, last week’s Sydney International champion, No.4 seeded Elena Dementieva, and vanquished opponent, No.3 seed Dinara Safina, lead the charge; the latter faces countrywoman Alla Kudryavtseva today’s on Margaret Court Arena.
In contrast, No.11 seed Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark and 2007 quarterfinalist Shahar Peer from Israel are lone female flag-fliers for their countries. They might be two of the game’s rising stars, but only one will progress through today’s first round blockbuster.
Andy Murray may be Great Britain’s only hope in the men’s event, but he’s a highly-fancied hope. And the Brits are celebrating their best representation in the women’s tournament since 1992, Elena Baltacha and Katie O’Brien qualifying to join direct entrants, world No.53 Anne Keothavong and No.110 Melanie South, in the main draw.
Yank-o-philes will be relieved that traditional front-liners Andy Roddick, James Blake and Venus and Serena Williams now have some youthful back-up in the form of John Isner and Sam Querrey.
Meanwhile, the Argentine camp boasts nine combatants, including No.8 seed Juan Martin Del Potro, and No.10 seed David Nalbandian. Winner in New Zealand, Del Potro plays match two on Hisense Arena, while Sydney champion Nalbandian wraps up today’s action on Margaret Court Arena.
The draws, featuring men from 34 and women from 38 countries, are locked in. Who ultimately claims Melbourne Park’s hallowed territory remains to be seen. Game on.
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