What a Way to Start

We didn't waste any time getting down to business, did we? With just a week of action in the books so far this 2015 tennis season, players were out to make some real statements -- and with the Australian Open around the corner there's no better time.

There were lots of surprises at the Hopman Cup, with Lucie Safarova emerging as a silent killer during her round robin matches and once-threatening Fabio Fognini struggling with form and losing all three of his round robin matches, one against world #239 Adam Pavlasek. Ultimately the U.S. and Poland emerged as the top teams of the pack, but even with top-ranked Serena Williams looking a little uneasy earlier in the week, you had to give her and partner John Isner the upper hand in yesterday's final. But Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska had other plans -- the 2012 Wimbledon runner-up hadn't won a set off her opponent since that day at the All England Club, and after coming out on the wrong end of a marathon rematch against of last year's final in Perth Alizé Cornet on Friday, she might have been a little fatigued. But the fifth-ranked woman on the WTA Tour came out swinging in the championship match-up -- she grabbed the first set and even had a shot at serving out the second. Though she was pushed to a decider, she rolled over the Williams in it, going 6-1 for her first ever win over the American. Isner evened the score with a win in his singles rubber, but Aga paired with Jerzy Janowicz for a thrilling doubles victory, sending the Poles to their first Hopman Cup championship, and perhaps the sweetest title of her career.

Things went a little more according to plan in Shenzhen, but it wasn't all smooth sailing for the favorites. Second seeded Petra Kvitova, coming off the best year she's seen in a while, did well early but was stunned in the semis by a resurgent Timea Bacsinszky, who reached her first final since 2010. But the top half of the draw was dominated by world #3 Simona Halep, who seemed eager to continue the breakthrough season she had in 2014. After dropping opening set of her campaign, she didn't look back and won eight straight sets on her way to the final. Against the young Swiss on Saturday she didn't allow a break opportunity and picked up her ninth career title in just over an hour. And her relentless play all week should bode well as she makes the trip down to Melbourne where the stakes are even higher.

Stanislas Wawrinka certainly knows it's possible to parlay momentum from one win into a bigger one -- last year the then-#8 ranked player in the world claimed his second title in Chennai and then then stunned both Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal on the way to his first Grand Slam in Australia. He went back to India this past week looking to repeat his luck, and though he was the top seed his fate was far from sealed -- he survived a test from upstart teenager Borna Coric in his opener and staved off a threat from comeback kid David Goffin in the semis. Meanwhile in the bottom half of the draw qualifier Aljaz Bedene, ranked just #156 in the world, had taken out three favored Spaniards in quick succession, toppling 2014 standout Feliciano Lopez in the second round and then ousting Guillermo Garcia Lopez and Roberto Bautista Agut to make his own first Tour-level final. But Wawrinka was fair warned in Sunday's championship -- the twenty-nine year old Swiss took advantage of the far-less-experienced Slovenian, winning more than seventy percent of his service points and claiming the title in straight sets. If he keeps it up he could make a real play for defending his title Down Under too.

It had been a little longer since former world #1 Venus Williams tasted Major glory, but the thirty-four year old veteran has remained more than relevant, claiming a title in Dubai and a win over sister Serena last year to climb back into the top twenty. The 2014 runner-up in Auckland was not about to rest on those laurels though, and returned to New Zealand on a mission -- in her first four matches, in fact, she delivered two bagel and two breadstick sets to her opponents. Still the third seed was the underdog in Saturday's final -- Caroline Wozniacki had been on fire the last several months and, despite a slight hiccup in the semis, seemed primed to start the new year off the way she finished the last one. But Venus had other ideas -- after dropping the first set she rallied hard in the second and ultimate closed out the match in just under two hours, keeping her record against the Dane a perfect 6-0. It might be a tough ask to call for the champion to make a deep run in Melbourne later this month -- but we should all know better by now than to put it past her.

Perhaps we can say the same for David Ferrer, who really seemed to have the wind taken out of him after his "Cinderella" run in Paris in 2013 -- the thirty-two year old fell back into a double-digit ranking after failing to qualify outright for last year's World Tour Final in London. And he was tested from the start this week in Doha -- just minutes after Rafael Nadal was ousted in his opener, Ferrer found himself down a set to Dutch qualifier Thiemo De Bakker. And in Friday's semi versus big-serving Ivo Karlovic, the man who'd just trumped Novak Djokovic a day earlier, he fought off thirty aces and more than twice as many winners in the three tiebreak match, reaching his first final at the Qatar Open. In the championship he faced a relatively well-rested Tomas Berdych, who hadn't dropped a set all week and who, at #7 in the world, was the on-paper favorite. But Ferrer battled from the start, nabbing a two break lead in the opening set and barely looking back. It was his first title in five attempts in Doha and, with an uncharacteristic week off before the Australian Open -- he's played in Auckland the last nine years, winning four titles there -- he could be primed to cause some damage there as well.

So too could Maria Sharapova, who kicked off her 2015 with a more-than-solid showing in Brisbane. The champion in Melbourne seven years ago made good on her top seeding this week and lost just nine games in her first three matches. Meanwhile Ana Ivanovic, squarely back in the top ten for the first time since 2008, looked just as threatening herself -- the champion in Auckland this time last year was coming off her most prolific season yet and, though she didn't meet another seed on her way to the final, seemed in control all week long. And with the pair splitting wins in their four matches last year, this one promised to be a good one -- the ladies didn't disappoint. Ana fought back from an early break and ultimately took the opening, hour-long set in a tiebreak, but Sharapova battled back, denying any break opportunity in the second. Momentum went back and forth in the decider but ultimately the Russian prevailed, claiming her thirty-fourth career title and closing in slightly on the #1 ranking. And with the top spot within her sights, she might be even more motivated to continue her run Down Under.

Roger Federer might do the same -- after his stellar 2014 season, he's also a stone's throw from the #1 ranking and his own showing in Brisbane proved he's nowhere near done trying to reclaim the spot. Like many of this weekend's champions, he had to dust off the cobwebs early, dropping his first set to Aussie wildcard John Millman, but he rebounded in style, dropping just one game to James Duckworth and simply thrashing world #11 Grigor Dimitrov in the semis. On Sunday he met a slightly more tested Milos Raonic for the title -- the young Canadian had just squeaked through his last two matches, going the distance against monster server Sam Groth in the quarters and barely surviving a two-and-a-half hour, three tiebreak battle against rival Kei Nishikori a day earlier. He put up a fight in the final, too, forcing Roger to a third set, but ultimately the great Fed came out on top, earning his eighty-third career title and his historic thousandth singles match win, only the third player in history to achieve that milestone. And with the 2015 season just barely underway, there's no telling how many more landmarks he'll hit this year.

Picking Up Where They Left Off

It may feel like a while since the final balls of the 2014 tennis season were hit, but it sure looks like a couple players kept busy during their time off. In just the first few days of action in the New Year, we've already been treated to thrilling matches and major upsets. But if we were really paying attention the last few months, maybe we shouldn't be so surprised to see who's shining as bright as they are -- and who may still need to dust off the cobwebs a little.

It might not be too shocking to see Victoria Azarenka struggling a bit on her return to tournament play. The former world #1 has played just a handful of events over the past year and was defending runner-up points in Brisbane -- she was under a lot of pressure this week. And though she held match points against Karolina Pliskova in their opener Monday, she wasn't able to convert and ultimately lost the three-plus hour marathon. Slightly more troublesome was the performance of last year's finalist in Melbourne -- Dominika Cibulkova lost to Madison Keys in her first round in Brisbane, notching her thirteenth event in twelve months without a win. One-time Roland Garros #2 Sara Errani didn't fare any better -- she's only won one match since the U.S. Open and this week in Auckland lost in straight sets to veteran Daniela Hantuchova. Fifth seed Svetlana Kuznetsova put up a bit more of a fight, but after taking the first set off qualifier Lucie Hradecka she ultimately couldn't hold off the underdog.

It wasn't all bad news for the ladies, though. Young Ana Konjuh who reached the quarters in Limoges and the semis in Istanbul last year pulled off an upset of eighth seeded Mona Barthel in Auckland before ultimately losing to Elena Vesnina. Over in Shenzhen Aleksandra Krunic, who very nearly defeated Victoria Azarenka in New York last year, is making the most of her qualifying ticket to the main draw, reaching the quarters with a win over Anna Schmiedlova today. And at the mixed-team, round-robin Hopman Cup, under-appreciated Lucie Safarova continued her success from last year -- the Czech was the only player to hold match point against Aussie champ Na Li in Melbourne, reached her first Slam semi at Wimbledon and scored wins over Sam Stosur, Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki during the season. This week in Perth she's already stunned Genie Bouchard and notched an impressive win over Flavia Pennetta to help her team to a perfect 2-0 so far.

A couple guys have been able to carry over their strength into the new year too. Andy Murray, who fell briefly out of the top ten in 2014, cut his ranking in half with three titles to end the season. He hasn't had as tough a draw in Perth, but he did score his third straight win over Jerzy Janowicz, a man who stunned him two years back in Paris. And David Goffin, who won four Challenger and three ATP-level titles all in the back half of last year, hasn't slowed down either. The fourth seed in Chennai survived a challenge in his opener, but with the help of twelve aces ultimately dispatched Ricardas Berankis to make the quarters. Young Borna Coric on the other hand, a man who ended 2014 with one of the biggest wins of his nascent career, may not have been able to get the win over defending champ Stan Wawrinka today, but he did manage an upset over veteran Robin Haase in his first round. And wins like that could be just what he needs to make a real dent in his ranking.

It hasn't all been good news for the men though. American #1 John Isner hasn't done much of note for quite some time -- he'd only scored one win over a top twenty player since Roland Garros before making the trip to Perth. There he battled through three tight sets in his defeat of Fabio Fognini but then fell in straights to a still-uncertain Vasek Pospisil. And former U.S. Open semifinalist Mikhail Youzhny has struggled a bit over the years and started this season out of the top forty for the first time since 2009. He showed some promise of a comeback the last few months, defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Cincinnati and Ernest Gulbis in Shanghai, but he also lost to Nick Kyrgios in New York and to #74 Mikhail Kukushkin in his hometown Moscow. This week in Doha he was stunned by little known Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili in straight sets, his sixth loss to a sub-#100 player in the past year. But of course the big shocker came when Rafael Nadal took the court for his first ATP match since undergoing surgery this past fall. But even pre-appendectomy the Spanish star seemed out of form, losing to two teenagers in the past six months, and his troubles continued in the New Year. Against world #127, veteran qualifier Michael Berrer on Tuesday, Rafa squandered a 6-1 first set and couldn't convert any of five break points in the decider. After two hours on court the defending champ in Doha was sent packing, marking his earliest loss in a season since 2004.

Of course, not everyone started the season the way they ended the last. Peter Gojowczyk had become a virtual nonentity on Tour in the back half of 2014 -- after a stunning Cinderella run to the Doha semis last year and a defeat of Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Davis Cup play, the twenty-five year old German couldn't qualify for the last three ATP events of the season and only managed an 8-9 record on the year. He seems to have found his stride again though -- he only lost one game to Alejandro Falla this week in Chennai and could be about to turn his luck back around. And even more surprising was the groggy performance of world #1 Serena Williams in Perth. With a 31-3 record since Wimbledon and four titles to boot, you can understand why she'd be a little tired. But this week she actually called for a coffee during her three-setter against Pennetta and then was wholly drubbed by Eugenie Bouchard yesterday. Whether she can rally to get the U.S. into the Hopman Cup semis remains to be seen, but something tells me she'll figure things out once she hits the big leagues again.

Hopefully the players who've put themselves on the right track to start this year will keep things going deep into the season -- and the rest will take this as an opportunity to right themselves. With just over a week left before things get really serious on Tour there's not a lot of time of everyone to show us exactly what they're made of.

3...2...1...

The ball may have already dropped to ring in the New Year, but we're still a couple days away from the official start of the 2015 tennis season. And with last year's champions looking to continue their momentum, former greats hoping for a successful return and a couple newbies seeking their big breaks, you know we're going to see some top-notch action from the start.

Of course it won't be full steam ahead for everyone -- Juan Martin Del Potro delayed his comeback and pulled out of Brisbane, while a couple players who entered exhibitions at International Premier League events ultimately withdrew from early tournaments too. And even those who did hit the court again struggled -- Rafael Nadal, playing his first match since an appendectomy in November, won just two games off Andy Murray at the Mubadala World Tennis Championships this week. Results like these could open the door to plenty others.

The only woman who's ever won the title in Shenzhen won't be back to defend, of course, and top tier champs like Simona Halep and Petra Kvitova will be eager to fill her spot. But they're not the only ones -- last year's runner-up Shaui Peng had a strong end to her 2014 season and could get a nice boost from homecourt advantage. And Zarina Diyas, who quietly climbed to #33 in the world, got to the final in Osaka in October and could take a couple in the field here by surprise. But I'm going to keep an eye on Vera Zvonareva, whose comeback last year was half-hearted at best. If she's fully recovered now, she might be ready to cause some of the damage we all know she's capable of.

The women's bracket in Brisbane is a little more intimidating with eight top twenty players hitting the courts in Australia. Singapore qualifiers Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic lead the pack but the biggest surprises could come from some unseeded spoilers. Hometown favorite Sam Stosur launched a late-season comeback last year, reaching the semis in Beijing and taking her third title in Osaka, and 2014 runner-up Victoria Azarenka, who's coming off her first trophy-less season since 2008, will look to make up points right off the bat. But perhaps the player with the greatest chance of shaking things up is Karolina Pliskova who won the Girls' title in Melbourne back in 2010 -- in September she made the final in Hong Kong and followed up that run with titles in Seoul and Linz. She was an alternate at the Tournament of Champions in Sofia and lost the only match she played, but with wins over players like Andrea Petkovic, Angelique Kerber and Ana Ivanovic over the last twelve months, she certainly has the talent to take out the big guns.

There's plenty star power in the men's draw too -- Roger Federer, my player of the year, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic all are coming off breakthrough seasons, but potential threats lurk even deeper in the draw. Alexandr Dolgopolov, whose own stellar 2014 was cut short by knee surgery in July, will be back in action -- he only won one match since his return in Tokyo last September, but it was over an always-tricky Gilles Simon, and he might finally be up for even bigger challenges now. And native son Lleyton Hewitt snatched this title from Fed last year -- he may be well off his career high ranking at #50 in the world, but he's one of those guys that never gives up. Perhaps the same can be said for compatriot Bernard Tomic, who briefly fell out of the top hundred last year after a second round loss at Wimbledon. He may not be at the top of his game these days, but he did manage a runner's-up finish in Sydney in 2014 -- admittedly one win short of his previous result -- and he shocked everyone with a title run in Bogota over the summer. Somehow, it seems, every time we write him off, he manages to pull off a big win.

Over in Chennai, Stan Wawrinka will look to reclaim the crown that launched him into the sport's elite, but players like 2014 standoutRoberto Bautista Agut and comeback kid David Goffin will be out to derail his plans. So will some of last year's most promising young guns -- Jiri Vesely had quite a strong start to last season, and Borna Coric who stunned Rafael Nadal last year in Basel, is just a hair out of the top hundred now and seems primed to climb much higher. But I'd like nothing more than to see Feliciano Lopez to make a big run here. The likely-second seed is coming off a banner 2014 season, reaching a career-high #14 ranking and notching wins over Nadal, Tomas Berdych and Milos Raonic -- he hasn't won a hardcourt title since 2010, but the thirty-three year old veteran has shown he has what it takes to put an end to that stretch.

More than a couple stars made their way out to Doha too -- defending champion Rafael Nadal and world #1 Novak Djokovic may headline, but a couple former top ten players could also make a stand. Fernando Verdasco finished 2014 at his lowest year-end ranking since 2006 and will look to turn things back around, and fellow Spaniard Nicolas Almagro, playing his first event since pulling out of his French Open first round, could rack up a couple of much needed points to improve his #71 ranking before heading down to Melbourne. But also look out for Ernests Gulbis, whose shoulder injury kept him off the alternate list in London -- he really slowed down after his surprise semifinal appearance at Roland Garros, but he's got the kind of game that can really catch the favorites off guard, and it might just be the perfect time to show us exactly what he can do.

It's hard to say who'll ultimately come out on top this tennis season, but the good thing about each new year is that everyone starts off with a clean slate. Whether the old favorites continue their reigns or some upstarts make a push into the elite, we're certainly in for some great action over the coming months. And it all kicks off in just a few more days...

Back With a Vengeance

Wow, it sure has been a while, huh?

But it's a New Year, a new tennis season, and I've made a new resolution to rededicate myself to the sport we all love. And I'm not the only one, it seems.

This weekend's champions saw varying degrees of success during 2013, but with their wins over the last few days, some showed they're ready to pick up right where they left off, while the others proved they're far from receding into the shadows...and might just see their stars rise even farther this year.

Stanislas Wawrinka rose to a career high ranking last season, reaching his first career Slam semi at the U.S. Open after defeating defending champion Andy Murray and taking then-#1 Novak Djokovic to another epic five sets a round later. He didn't face the same caliber of player this week in Chennai, but the 2011 titleist in India nevertheless made good on his top seeding and advanced to the final without dropping a set. Against Edouard Roger-Vasselin in Sunday's championship, he only allowed one break opportunity and picked up his first hard court title in three years -- not a bad way to start his campaign for the year's first Major.

Na Li had a similar end to last season, ending at #3 in the world. She may not have grabbed the big tournaments -- it's been two and a half years since her only Grand Slam -- but she put up quite a fight trying to win a second and beat the likes of Victoria Azarenka and Petra Kvitova on her way to the final at the WTA Championships. This week the defending Shenzhen champion opened with a decisive win over Vera Zvonareva in her first match since 2012 and didn't stop there. Sure she didn't face any player in the top forty, but only dropped one set to Monica Niculescu and quickly dispatched countrywoman Shuai Peng in the final. She'll face bigger challenges in the weeks to come, of course, but an easy run this week sure shows just how far ahead of most of the pack she is.

Rafael Nadal ended last year with even more flare. After sitting out most of 2012 and the '13 Australian Open, he returned to the clay in February and captured five titles on the surface before claiming Roland Garros #8. Perhaps more impressively, though, he even thrived on his "worst" surface, also winning in Montreal, Cincinnati and New York. He slowed down a bit during the fall, ceding matches to top-tier contemporaries, but he did regain the #1 ranking, becoming the only man to lose and reclaim the year-end distinction twice. He began his season this week in Doha, one of the few tournaments he had never before won, and hit the court running. Though he battled through some tough matches, even dropping an opening set to German Cinderella Peter Gojowcyzk in the semis, he ultimately kept a cool head in the final against showman Gael Monfils, a man to whom he'd only lost in this city. And after losing his lead by dropping the middle set, Nadal rebounded handily in the decider and finally changed luck at the Qatar Open.

Serena Williams hasn't had a lot of bad luck over the last eighteen months or so. Since the 2012 French Open, she's won sixteen titles, including Olympic Gold, four Grand Slam trophies, including a long-elusive French Open crown, and two year-end Championships. Securely at the top of the women's rankings, she hasn't lost before a final since Wimbledon last year, and has won each of those matches but one. This week defending her title in Brisbane, she was pitted against the best out there, and from the start had to face off against top challengers. Yet she rolled over still-rebounding Andrea Petkovic, decimated recent Miami pretender Dominika Cibulkova and fended off set points against former-#1 Maria Sharapova. In the final against Victoria Azarenka, the only woman who's been able to (semi-)consistently get the upper hand on Serena in recent years, she quickly avenged a loss suffered less than a week ago at a Thailand exhibition, and reminded us all that when a championship is on the line, she's out to win it all.

The men in Brisbane didn't have such a cut-and-dry story. Yes, top seed Roger Federer, coming off his least-prolific year since 2001, made his way to the final, dropping only a set to feisty Jeremy Chardy in the semis. But the really surprising headlines were made by tireless Lleyton Hewitt, nearly thirty-three years old and titleless since 2010. Unseeded in his homeland, the Aussie hero stunned resurgent Feliciano Lopez in the second round and then ousted world #17 Kei Nishikori in the semis. A middling 8-18 against Federer during their fourteen year history, Hewitt's last win came in that Halle final almost four years ago. But this time he came out firing, taking the opening set 6-1, and though the fellow veteran forced him to a third, Hewitt eventually prevailed, belying his #60 ranking and putting him well on the upswing as he makes his way to Melbourne. He's lost in the first round three of the last five years, but hasn't had this kind of momentum in quite some time. Still ranked too low to get a seeding at the Australian Open, he's the kind of player who's going to have all the favorites shaking in their sneaks.

Speaking of former #1's, two more met in the Auckland final Saturday. Venus Williams slipped a little in 2013, but even though she didn't win a title, she did beat Kirsten Flipkens at the U.S. Open and Victoria Azarenka in Tokyo. She ended the year just inside the top fifty, but looked to turn things around in New Zealand and with a win over Jamie Hampton in the semis, she looked ready to do just that. Meanwhile, Ana Ivanovic titleless since Bali in 2011, used last season as a rebuilding year. She beat Angelique Kerber in Madrid and Sam Stosur in Sofia and made the fourth round of three of the four Grand Slams. She took the second seed in Auckland, but with a less-than-remarkable 1-8 career record against Venus she was probably not expected to do much in Saturday's championship. The Serb proved her detractors wrong, though -- she was pushed to three sets after winning the first, but stayed tough enough to secure the win and push herself to a top-fifteen ranking. If she's going to repeat -- or improve upon -- her 2008 run to the Melbourne final, this could be exactly the way to do it.

Sure the year has only just begun, but this weekend's winners sure kicked it off with a bang. And if they can keep the momentum going throughout 2014, any one of them could do some big things this season.

Picking Up Where We Left Off...

It's been more than a couple weeks since we last saw the sport's biggest stars take the court with a trophy on the line. But as the new season kicks off, so many of them were eager to keep the momentum they had late last year, while others were out to recapture the magic they had not so long ago. And with their performances so far, they've each put themselves on track to accomplish even bigger things in 2013.

Janko Tipsarevic had lost a bit of steam at the end of last year -- after claiming two titles
to end 2011, he made few real breakthroughs last season. He did manage one title in Stuttgart, and a couple finals here and there, but after retiring in Paris and losing all three of his London round robins, he looked a little beaten down. He got himself back on track in Chennai this week though, admittedly without ever facing too big a challenge -- top-seeded Tomas Berdych was ousted in his quarterfinal, and the only seed Tipsy faced on the way to his second straight final here was world #60 Go Soeda. But after losing the first set to little-known Roberto Bautista Agut he was able to regroup and win his first championship since July. And with some good results this time of year, he might be able to wash out the stale taste in his mouth from the fall.

Na Li has had some of her best results this time of year, and whatever her results were coming into it the last few seasons she finds a way to shine. She's a shade off her career high ranking these days and only played a handful of events after the U.S. Open, but she has a lot of points to defend the first few months of the year -- a final in Sydney, a fourth round in Melbourne -- so she new she had to perform. This past week in Shenzhen she was dominant in her early rounds, delivering bagels to both Mandy Minella and Shuai Peng to make the final. Meanwhile fellow veteran Klara Zakopalova was making her way through the other end of the draw -- the long-time middle-tier player thumped doubles phenom Andrea Hlavackova and shocked second-seeded Marion Bartoli to make her first championship match in nearly two years. But though she put up a fight, the Czech eventually succumbed to Li's experience, and the hometown favorite set herself up for another strong showing Down Under.

Over in Doha many of the favorites were stunned from the start, but at the end two long-time stars were the ones left standing. One-time world #3 Nikolay Davydenko has struggled for much of the last two years to come back from wrist injury, but this was a first time in a while he looked like the star we once knew. The Russian kicked off his campaign with a solid win over recently resurgent Mikhail Youzhny and then pulled off a huge upset over red-hot David Ferrer to make the last round. In the other half of the draw Richard Gasquet, back in the top ten since 2008, made his own dramatic run to the championship match. Tested early by one of last year's newcomers, he was also pushed to the limit against qualifier Daniel Brands in the semis. He was ultimately too much for Davydenko in the final, though, coming back after losing the first set and taking his eighth career title. The Russian's fight to make another trip into the elite may have been stalled in Saturday's match, but his performance last week sure gives him hope. And Gasquet's continuation of the play that brought him a title in Bangkok at the end of last season promises to serve him well in 2013, if he can keep it up.

Aggie Radwanska's best results came a little earlier last year, and though she seemed to sputter in the fall thanks to a couple injuries, she picked up her game at the season-ender in Istanbul to make her first semi at the WTA finals. She made sure that momentum stuck to start 2013, and made quick work of her draw in Auckland -- though she got some help when Elena Vesnina ousted last year's comeback kid Yaroslava Shvedova and second-seeded Julia Goerges lost in her second round, she didn't face much of a challenge until she was taken to two tiebreaks in the semis against young American Jamie Hampton. But even given her fine start, the result was far from certain when in the final she faced Yanina Wickmayer, playing her third final in New Zealand -- she won back in 2010. Still Aga was relentless Saturday, keeping herself perfect and not dropping a set throughout the week. With one more title to start the year, the eleventh of her career, she seems she might still have what it takes to make a move back to the top.

Maybe more impressive was the performance of a woman looking to make her own move to the top. Serena Williams has only lost one match since last year's French Open, and is now a stone's throw from reclaiming the sport's top spot. She came to Brisbane as only the third seed, but even before Maria Sharapova withdrew from the event and Victoria Azarenka pulled out of their semi with a (weird!) toe injury she was probably still the favorite. Despite a potentially tough first round against rising American star Varvara Lepchenko, she was nevertheless brutal on her way to the final, dropping just fourteen games in three matches. In the bottom half Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova was pulling off her own comeback, taking out two top seeds in straight sets. But she didn't have it in her to put up a fight against the relentless Serena who, in another trouncing, claimed her eighth title in less than twelve months. With that kind of performance going into the Australian Open, there's no reason to think she won't keep her play up to take her sixteenth Slam trophy.

But maybe the most pressure was on Andy Murray this week -- after his breakthrough year, it would have been a shame to see him falter so early in 2013. But after being pushed in his opener against Australian qualifier John Millman, he largely sailed through his later rounds. Meanwhile rising star Grigor Dimitrov was having his own stretch of luck in the bottom half of the draw -- he started by stunning second-seed Milos Raonic and followed up with a win over Jurgen Melzer, and after eventually ending Marcos Baghdatis's win streak in the semis made his first career singles final in Brisbane. But the Bulgarian's Cinderella run would come to end in Sunday's championship -- after keeping it close for a set, Murray pulled ahead in the second ultimately closed out his first title of the year. If there was any concern he was about to endure a sophomore slump, he might have silenced them entirely after his performance this week.

It's still early in the season, of course, but it sure looks like this week's winners are well on their way to proving recent successes were no fluke -- or that any slumps they've had may be short-lived. With just a week to go before the first Major of 2013, there may not have been a better time to show us what they've still got.

And it could make for some real excitement when it really heats up in Melbourne.

New Year's Resolutions

We're just about two days into the new year and I've already fallen a little short of the goals I've set for 2013. It's not that I've broken any of my resolutions, exactly -- I skipped the gym this morning and slumping in my couch while typing is doing little by way of improving my posture -- but I might just have to step up my efforts in the coming months.

Not everyone in the tennis world got off to a good start for the season either -- world #1 Novak Djokovic lost his Hopman Cup round robin today to slumping Aussie Bernard Tomic -- but a couple seem to be sticking quite ardently to some resolutions I think are truly appropriate for their years.

Hopefully they'll keep it up.

Resolution #1: Show 'em Age is Just a Number

Serena Williams has proven time and again that she should never be counted out. The most dominant player in the back half of last year, she won two Slams, Olympic Gold and the year-end championship -- and she's thirty-one years old! Easily the eldest stateswoman among the sport's elite, Serena may have battled injuries over the past few years, but these days she's showing no signs of slowing down and has dropped just a handful of games in her first two matches in Brisbane this week. At #3 in the world now, she's a stone's throw from reclaiming the top spot this year, and if she holds on to it through the end of the season, she'll surpass Chris Evert as the oldest woman to be ranked #1. It might take some doing, but there's no reason a player with Williams' talent, strength and focus shouldn't be able to do it.

Lleyton Hewitt hasn't had the same success in recent years, and the one-time #1 is far away from climbing back to the top. Still the often-injured Aussie claims he has no intention of leaving the game in 2013. Hewitt, just a few weeks shy of thirty-two, struggled during his opener match in Brisbane, but eventually overcame lucky loser Igor Kunitsyn to book his spot in the second round. He'll be tested further as the week progresses, of course, but the two-time Major winner can never be counted out -- just last year he notched wins over Marin Cilic at the Olympics and newly anointed top-tenner Juan Monaco in Valencia. It'll be tough for him to win many titles, but Hewitt -- who's one about two-thirds of every deciding set he's played throughout his decorated career -- has proven he's not one to go down easily. And whenever he's on the court this season, you can bet he'll be out there to fight.

Resolution #2: Launch A(nother) Comeback

Marcos Baghdatis hasn't hide quite the slump Hewitt had during his decade-long career, but it has been a while since he's played the kind of tennis that got him to the Australian Open final back in 2006. Still, with a couple semifinal showings at smaller events last year, the likable Cypriot quietly crept back into the top forty. So far in Brisbane, he took out homegrown wildcard Benjamin Mitchell and upset sixth-seeded Florian Mayer to make the quarters. Like Hewitt in the other half, the task at hand gets only harder from here, but if he keeps his momentum against Gilles Simon in the next round, he might have a shot at making the final -- and with that kind of start to the year, we might even see him make a break for the top twenty before the season is over.

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova hasn't been on Tour quite as long as these guys, but the winner of three Grand Slam Juniors titles nevertheless pulled quite a disappearing act in 2012. She won three titles before turning twenty and as high as #13 in the world, but she one-sidedly lost the only final she played last year and is not currently in seeding territory for Melbourne. But though she was challenged early this week in Australia by doubles star Lucie Hradecka, earlier today she rebounded nicely to oust one-time Wimbledon champ Petra Kvitova, who at this time last year was spitting distance from taking over the #1 spot. Pavs may have a tough time against 2012 standout Angelique Kerber in the next round, but the hard-hitting German has already gone through two three-setters. If the Russian pounces early, she might but her back on the trajectory that got her so noticed not so long ago.

Resolution #3: Prove 2012 Wasn't a Fluke

Fellow Juniors champion Agnieszka Radwanska has been a staple in the top ten for years, but only really made a breakthrough in 2012. The first half of her year included three big titles, an unlikely run to the Wimbledon final and a burgeoning rivalry with top-ranked Victoria Azarenka. She briefly climbed to #2 in the world and, during the U.S. Open, actually stood an outside chance of moving one spot up from that. She begins this season at #4, losing a little steam in the back half of last year due to injury, but after making the the semis at the WTA championships, she showed she wasn't just going to fizzle out. So far in Auckland, she's looked rested and relentless, winning her first two matches easily and setting herself up for what should be an easy road to at least the title match. Ultimately taking home the trophy, of course, could put her on track to do even more damage in the weeks to come and prove she's no one-hit wonder.

David Ferrer's made a couple runs to the top of the sport during his twelve-plus year career, but something made us all sit up and take notice of the Spaniard in 2012. Though he's been as high as #1 in the world -- nearly five years ago -- the tireless champion had never really shone on the big stages. He'd made the semis at a Major only twice before last season and though he'd made three Masters finals, all on clay, he'd never captured a title. But with his more-famous countryman mostly out of the picture last year, Ferru took his chance to shine. He made the quarters of all four Slams, the semis at Roland Garros and New York, and went 14-1 to cap off the season, winning both his Davis Cup rubbers and -- finally -- that elusive Masters title in Paris, ironically the only championship match at that level he's contested off clay. Ferrer took the top seed in Doha and, after losing a tight first set in his opener, has looked on point through the rest of his matches. While there's only one seed left in the draw, there could still be some hidden threats -- both Nikolay Davydenko and Gael Monfils have fallen a bit down the rankings -- but things look good for David. And if he parlays strength this week into some solid performances down the road, we might see just him in a couple more winner's circles this year.

Resolution #4: Make 2013 the Best Year Ever

While players like Ferrer and Aga may have grabbed some unexpected headlines in 2012, others may be biding their time before really making a splash.

Tomas Berdych put up some big upsets last season, but despite shocking Roger Federer at the U.S. Open, it's been over two years since he was the center of attention. Back in 2010, the tall Czech had ridden a win over King Fed to runner-up trophies both in Miami and at Wimbledon. He's been a fixture in the top-ten since but hasn't had the results at a high-profile event since. He's got the talent -- seven wins over elite players last season -- and smarts, and as he kicks off his campaign in Chennai, he'll want to put them to use quick. If everything clicks this season, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make a run for the top five.

Like Berdych, Marion Bartoli knows what it's like to taste victory on the lawns of the All England Club, but the Frenchwoman has only made the semis of a Major one time since. She can be spotty at times -- she lost in or before the third round at three Slams last year -- but she can also intimidate. Back in 2011 she shocked defending champion Serena Williams at Wimbledon during the star's comeback and, though she finished 2012 just out of the top ten, she did hand Victoria Azarenka her first loss of the season. The second seed in Shenzhen, Bartoli rolled through her opener and held strong against qualifier Stefanie Voegele to make the quarters. She could get a fight from fellow veteran Klara Zakopalova in the next round, but if she keeps her game up she could make a real play for this title. And with that kind of start to the year, why not go for the glory at the Slams as well?

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A couple players may have faltered in the early goings, but that doesn't at all mean their prospects for the season are shot -- like with own my resolutions, I am optimistic that they'll be able to pick up the slack in coming months. But for those that have seen success at the outset, hopefully they can keep it up.

After all at the start of a new year, anything really can happen. And with the efforts all these guys and gals have made throughout their careers, there's no reason to believe they won't far exceed even the loftiest goals.

Here We Go, Again!

Well it sure is good to be back, huh? It seems like ages since we last saw some of the sport's big stars -- in some cases it has been ages -- but as players make their way in the general direction of the year's first Grand Slam, it looks as though they didn't miss a beat.

In Chennai, slightly removed from the most immediate action, Janko Tipsarevic looks to capitalize on the momentum that brought him two titles at the end of 2011 and a first trip to the year-end finals in London. He's the top seed and opens Thursday against Indian wildcard Yuki Bhambri, and will want to make a statement quickly to prove his recent good fortune was more than just luck.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is Nicolas Almagro -- he'll want to turn around his current streak, one which brought him just a single match win since the U.S. Open. Barely holding on to the #10 ranking, the Spaniard needs to grab some points quickly to keep his spot among the elite. And Milos Raonic, one of the biggest standouts of last year, struggled a bit after an injury he sustained at Wimbledon blunted the back half of his year. If he's in form, he should far out-perform his fourth seed here.

The ladies traveled a little closer to their ultimate destination. Sabine Lisicki, 2011's comeback of the year, takes the top seed in Auckland -- impressive, considering she had to qualify here last year. With many of her contemporaries being upset early, this warm-up might just be hers to lose.

But all obstacles haven't been eliminated quite yet. Flavia Pennetta may not have re-reached her highest ranking, but she ended the year with wins over Maria Sharapova and Caroline Wozniacki. She had solid wins in her first two rounds in New Zealand, and if she can get past Elena Vesnina in the quarters -- a woman she has traded wins with for the last six years -- she could have to confidence to go even farther.

It's been a little tougher for the top names in Brisbane. Despite ending 2011 with three straight titles, Andy Murray has struggled through two three-set matches in Australia, U.S. Open champ Sam Stosur was ousted by world #54 Iveta Benesova in straight sets, and Serena Williams, just outside the top-ten, withdrew after her second round match with an ankle sprain.

Maybe the troubles of others will bode well for those trying to get their games back on track. Alexandr Dolgopolov is at his highest career ranking, thanks to a breakout last year in Melbourne and his first title in Umag, but he won just one match in his last four of 2011, so he'll need to put up some good numbers here. He survived a close call Wednesday, so he'll have to up his game next if he's going to stay alive.

And former #1 Jelena Jankovic is coming off her first title-less year since 2006. She had some flashes of brilliance last year -- a defeat of Stosur in Dubai and runs to the finals in Monterrey and Cincinnati -- but also saw her ranking drop into the double digits, the lowest in five years. She's been solid so far in Brisbane, but hasn't faced too formidable a foe yet -- if she can bring her A-game against Francesca Schiavone on Thursday, she could turn her streak around.

The start of the year can be such a question mark -- will players lose their momentum or reignite a spark that had been dwindling? So far it's been a bit of a mixed picture, but there's a whole lot of play left this year. And a couple good shots hit the rest of this week could really get these players off on the right foot.

The Princes & The Cinderellas

The first week of tournament play of the new year has certainly yielded some interesting results -- while so many of the top women in the sport fell early in their events making way for a couple fairy tale runs, the men brought their game all week and several of the sport's best advanced all the way to the championship rounds.

The first men's trophy of 2011 went, not surprisingly, to Roger Federer who ousted a resurgent Nikolay Davydenko in Doha. It was the world #2's third title in the desert after a five-year drought but, more importantly, it was his fourth title in his last five tournaments -- his fifth since Wimbledon. If the rest of the field didn't already have reason to fear Fed in Melbourne, they certainly do now.

But some no-less-important statements were made a little further east.

Over in Chennai, India, two-time defending champ Marin Cilic was dismissed early, but most of the other seeds advanced without too much drama. Sixth-ranked Tomas Berdych, who hadn't played very well to end the year, finally put together back-to-back wins again to reach the semifinals where he was eventually dismissed by Stanislas Wawrinka in straight sets. In the other half of the draw, a tough Xavier Malisse, who's been climbing his way back after a wrist injury that largely kept him out of contention for the last three years, advanced easily, only dropping one set in the semis to Janko Tipsarevic before making his first final since 2007.

Third-seeded Wawrinka found himself in a deficit early on Sunday, though, down 2-4 in the first set before knocking of wins in five of the next six games to capture the lead. But the Belgian raised his level in the second, winning every one of his first serve points, and only dropping two of his second attempts. He made good on his only break opportunity and was able to force the match into a decider.

But the third was all about the Swiss -- this time it was Wawrinka who displayed the superior serves, ceding only one receiving point to Malisse, and breaking his opponent twice to run off with the championship after more than two hours of play. It was Stan's third career title, and his first on a hardcourt -- certainly a good result as the world #21 tries to make a big mark at the Majors.

A little closer to Melbourne it was the very top seeds that made it to the finals at the Brisbane International. Defending champ Andy Roddick looked to be playing near his prime, surviving tough opponents in fifth seeded Marcos Baghdatis and big-serving Kevin Anderson to make the title match again. Meanwhile Robin Soderling, who'd only dropped serve once in his first four matches made good on his top billing and advanced to his seventeenth career final.

The Swede got off to a good start, breaking Andy early and winning the first set in just over half an hour. Things were tighter in the second, as the American saved a handful of break points early and kept his cool after a scuffle with officials over the rain. Eventually though, serving his sixteenth ace of the match, it was the tournament favorite -- now ranked fourth in the world -- who captured the crown. He won an amazing ninety percent of his first serves during the match and never faced a break point, securing his best-ever seeding at a Grand Slam.

But while the higher seeds lived up to expectations on the men's side, it was anything but for the ladies. In Brisbane none of the top three seeds made it out of the second round and the two eventual finalists took care of numbers four and five in the semis. Unseeded Andrea Petkovic made it through the top half of the draw without losing a set while Petra Kvitova, ranked just two spots below the German, took out big threats including Nadia Petrova, Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova and Dominika Cibulkova on the way to her third career final.

The two unlikely opponents had faced each other four times before, splitting their meetings, with Petkovic winning the last two. But Kvitova, a surprise semifinalist at Wimbledon last year, came out firing and broke Andrea in the first game of the match. She took advantage of weak serving from Petkovic -- both actually won more returning points than service points in the first set -- and took the opener in just over half an hour. Petko climbed out of an early hole in the second set, but the twenty-year-old Czech came back roaring and broke right back to close out her title.

And while it was a story of youth in Australia, it was a thirty-one year old veteran who triumphed down in New Zealand. Greta Arn took out three seeds in a row, including 2008 Australian Open champ Maria Sharapova, to make her first final since 2007. She earned the right to meet defending champion Yanina Wickmayer for the title, the only seeded woman to make a final this weekend.

But here again, the results were not to be expected. Arn who wasn't supposed to play in Auckland at all -- she only made it in the main draw after a couple higher-ranked players withdrew and saved five match points against Sophie Arvidsson in the second round -- was the better server all match, winning a much higher percent of her first serves and saving both break points she faced. Wickmayer, who struggled in Tour play at the end of last year, was out-maneuvered by the more experienced Hungarian and failed to defend her title after less than ninety minutes of play.

They were obviously solid wins for all players involved -- the top men re-established themselves as ones to watch Down Under, while some new faces emerged on the women's side as potential spoilers. Of course it's too early to tell how long these Cinderella runs and princely reigns will last, but if the action this week is any indication, we're in for a year of some great and exciting tennis.