there were eight in the last ten editions

The hegemony built in Melbourne by Big 3 male, especially Novak Djokoviccontrasts with the recent history of the WTA in the Australian Open. For several years now, women’s tennis has been prone to big surprises and in the last ten editions of the “big” oceanic tournament, in which Absent won six times, There were eight different champions in the women’s draw. And only two were able to lift the trophy on more than one occasion.

Serena Williams was crowned in 2015 and 2017 and Naomi Osakain 2019 and 2021. The other winners were Li Na (2014), Angelique Kerber (2016), Caroline Wozniacki (2018). Sofia Kenin (2020), Ashleigh Barty (2022) y Aryna Sabalenka (2023).

This fact, added to the reality of a very even circuit and in which it is difficult to stay (with some exceptions), makes it very difficult to predict who will end up taking the coveted cup on this occasion. Daphne Akhurst Memorial. And it also generated a curious statistic.

This will be the third consecutive season with a crossing of Grand Slam champions in the first round of the tournament. In 2022, they were the British Emma Raducanu and the American Sloane Stephenswinners of the US Open in 2021 and 2017, respectively. Last year, Kenin and the Belarusian Victoria Azarenka, two-time champion in Melbourne (2012 and 2013). And in this 2024, they will be the same Kenin and Every Swiatekowner of three titles Roland Garros (2020, 2022 and 2023) and one of the US Open (2022).

The Pole, number one in the world, will start as a great favorite, although she will not have an easy draw, since if she advances to the second round she will meet the American Danielle Collinsfinalist in this competition in 2022, or Kerber, another former champion who will play her first “big” since becoming a mother in February of last year.

Swiatek, who closed 2023 with a celebration in the WTA Cancun Finals, started this season with everything. He is undefeated, after winning the five games he played in the United Cup and arrives motivated to Melbourne. Although she knows that anything can happen there.

Her great rival will be Sabalenka, defending champion and number two in the world, who wants to repeat this season her enormous 2023 campaign, in which she made a leap in quality, momentarily stole number one from the Pole and reached, at minimum , the semis in the four Grand Slams.

The Belarusian will have a more accessible path, at least in the first rounds. She will debut with a rival from the qualy and in the second round she would meet the Romanian Ana Bogdan (66th) or another player emerging from the previous phase.

I left the house Elena Rybakina, third in the ranking, will be the third in contention in the fight for the title of the Australian competition. Champion in Wimbledon 2022 and finalist in Melbourne last year, will put first against the Czech Karolina Pliskovawhich once led the ranking but was never able to win a Major.

Behind that trio appear other names that, with more or less possibilities, will try to make use of the curious recent history of the tournament and surprise the favorites. In this group appear, for example, the American Coco Gauff, current champion of the “great” of her country; his compatriot Jessica Pegulla; and the tunisian Our Jabeurfinalist at Wimbledon last year.

Australia 2024 will also mark the return to Melbourne of several tennis players who became mothers last year, such as Osaka, Kerber and Wozniacki.

They will seek to follow in the footsteps of the Ukrainian Elina Svitolinawho last year made an impressive return to the circuit after giving birth in 2022, with a semifinal at Wimbledon and the quarterfinals at Roland Garros.

Meanwhile, Argentine tennis will be represented on the racket of Nadia Podoroska63rd in the world, who will play her first tournament of the year in Melbourne, where she will debut against the Slovenian Tamara Zidansek (99th).

The Rosario will arrive with doubts physically. The thing is that she withdrew from her first round match on Tuesday. WTA de Hobart against the German Tatjana Maria with an injury to his right shoulder. He had entered the picture as lucky loserafter falling in the last round of qualifying.

And whoever could not join her, but was close, was Julia Riera After her great week in Brisbane, in which she beat Ekaterina Alexandrova (21st in the world) and reached the round of 16, she continued her great moment in Melbourne, but ended up missing out on playing in the main draw of a GS for the first time in his career.

The 21-year-old from Pergamin, one of the country’s great promises, fell in the third round of the qualy against the American Katie Volynets (103rd) by 3-6, 7-6 (4) and 7-5 in a dramatic match that lasted two hours and 46 minutes. Likewise, she closes a great tour of Australia and promises to give something to talk about in the future.