Aussie early rounds full of intrigue
— -- The Australian Open singles draws were made today, so cue the brass and percussion sections and let the (guessing) games begin.
Let's try not to look too far ahead in terms of individual matchups. Let's find the takeaway in each quarter, pick a must-see match, and make a guess at the quarterfinalists. We'll take the WTA first.
First (top) quarter
You can't avoid looking ahead round-by-round in this one, mainly because top seed Serena Williams couldn't have come up with a more daunting assignment in her worst nightmare.
Start with this: Should former No. 2-ranked Vera Zvonareva (a two-time Grand Slam finalist), get by a qualifier and Williams handle Alison Van Uytvanck, Zvonareva and Williams will meet. Also in Williams' section: No. 24 seed Garbine Muguruza, who knocked Williams out of the 2014 French Open, and last year's Melbourne finalist, No. 11 Dominika Cibulkova.
It gets worse: No. 19 Alize Cornet (undefeated against Williams in three matches last year), two-time Aussie champ Victoria Azarenka, Sloane Stephens (who beat Williams at this tournament in 2013), and Williams' BFF, No. 8 Caroline Wozniacki.
I suppose it could be worse. Serena's sister might have ended up in that quarter, too.
Must-see first round: Stephens vs. Azarenka. Both women are unseeded, and both had injury issues last year. Two years ago, this was a Grand Slam semifinal (won by Azarenka).
Quarterfinalists: The trouble with picking Serena time and again is that it makes you feel lazy. The trouble with picking against her is that it usually makes you look like an idiot. Still, Serena has had issues, so Muguruza will be the one meeting Cornet (Wozniacki has a bad wrist).
Second quarter
Must-see first round: No. 12 Flavia Pennetta vs. Camila Giorgi. What could be better than a pair of expressive Italians, one a 32-year old veteran (Pennetta) and the other a 23-year-old who swings from the heels?
Quarterfinalists: No. 6 Agnieszka Radwanska knows how to neutralize a power game, and the challenges therein will prepare her nicely for a tough assignment in Petra Kvitova. Radwanska will be playing her first Grand Slam under the tutelage of new coach Martina Navratilova.
Third quarter
There's a lot of cannon fodder in this quarter: three wild cards (all of whom will be in over their heads), three qualifiers (identities yet to be determined), a few outstanding head cases. If No. 5 Ana Ivanovic and No. 3 Simona Halep aren't licking their chops they don't deserve a shot at the title.
Must-see first round: No. 28 Sabine Lisicki and 21-year-old Kristina Mladenovic will be firing rockets at each other. Mladenovic is a 6-foot-1, 21-year-old built on the Maria Sharapova platform, but she's been slow putting it all together. Lisicki is hit-or-miss.
Quarterfinalists: Seventeen-year-old Belinda Bencic of Switzerland, No. 32, is a future star and has proved to be a quick study. Look for her opposite Halep.
Fourth quarter
This quarter is all about two highly marketable divas, No. 7 Eugenie Bouchard and No. 2 Maria Sharapova. Imagine the drama if Bouchard finds the pressure of defending last year's semifinal appearance hard to handle, and Sharapova gets the willies facing 17-year-old prodigy Ana Konjuh of Croatia.
Must-see first round: No. 16 seed Lucie Safarova vs. Yaroslava Shvedova, but it's kind of by default.
Quarterfinalists: No. 9 Angelique Kerber could make a quarterfinal more interesting than Sharapova would like.
Now, on to the ATP.
First (top) quarter
Top-seeded Novak Djokovic could find life a bit nerve-racking in the quarter of the unknowns. Some of his potential rivals are unpredictable (No. 31 Fernando Verdasco, No. 17 Gael Monfils), others have scary power (No. 8 Milos Raonic, No. 19 John Isner, Jerzy Janowicz), still others have no business being unseeded ( Juan Martin del Potro, maybe even up-and-coming Dominic Thiem). There's enough there to keep Djokovic up nights.
Must-see first round: Speaking of Delpo and Janowicz, only one will see the light of the second round.
Quarterfinalists: Raonic finished 2014 very strong and has looked good thus far this year; could it be that he'll channel Stan Wawrinka of 2014 and knock out Djokovic?
Second quarter
Must-see first round: Sam Querrey, who's been spinning his wheels for some time now, meets a fellow big man, Canadian Vasek Pospisil. It promises to be competitive as well as a good demonstration of power tennis.
Quarterfinalists: Defending a major is a tough assignment, but not so daunting that Stan Wawrinka will fall victim before he gets that rematch with Nishikori.
Third quarter
No. 7 seed Tomas Berdych replaced the key members of his team a few weeks ago, hoping to make one last push for Grand Slam glory at age 29. On paper, the greatest obstacle standing in his way is No. 3 Rafael Nadal. Given that Nadal is an enormous question mark due to lack of match play and a growing suite of physical ailments, this looks like a great opportunity for Berdych.
Must-see first round: Because of all the uncertainty surrounding Nadal, his match against talented veteran Mikhail Youzhny looms as intriguing.
Quarterfinalists: Ernests Gulbis has the power, imagination and quickness to frustrate color-by-numbers players like Berdych; look for him to meet Nadal in the quarters.
Fourth quarter
This is the quarter of unfinished business, featuring No. 2 Roger Federer and No. 6 Andy Murray. Federer, 33 years old but with a retooled game, has been threatening to win Grand Slam title No. 18 -- but keeps falling just short. Murray is a three-time finalist who is at his best on these courts.
Must-see first round: Germany's Dustin Brown is a tricky, versatile player. He's meeting 23-year-old No. 10 seed Grigor Dimitrov, who appears to be on the cusp of making his long-awaited breakthrough.
Quarterfinalists: Dimitrov has often been called Baby Federer. He will meet Adult Federer in the quarters.
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