A Quest for Redemption

It's been a pretty exciting first month of the season, but the New Year hasn't been happy for everyone. A couple players have struggled to put up the kinds of results we've come to expect from them, but some solid results this week could turn all that around.

It's been a long time since Anastasija Sevastova has done anything big on the tennis court, and the 2010 Estoril champion has fallen well down the rankings over the last few years. After making the fourth round in Melbourne two years ago, she failed to make it past her opener there this time around and had to qualify for the main draw in Pattaya City. She sneaked out a win over rising star Heather Watson on Thursday to make her first quarterfinal since Luxembourg in 2011. She's got nothing but seeds left in her half of the draw, so it won't be easy for her to progress farther, but if the young Latvian can find her game there's no reason to believe she can't get in another win or two.

Elena Vesnina may have something to say about that though -- the decorated doubles star is having quite the season so far. Long a member of the middle tier in this sport, the Russian had lost all six of the finals she'd contested before this year, but changed her luck in Hobart early in the month and then beat Varvara Lepchenko and Roberta Vinci on her way to the Australian Open fourth round. The run helped her climb to #33 in the world, still off a career high, but with some of the most consistent results we've seen from her in a while. Vesnina hasn't faced another seeded player so far in Thailand, but could be tested tomorrow by world #15 Maria Kirilenko in the quarters. Her compatriot has won all three of their previous meetings, but Vesnina has kept things close in the past -- if she can harness her momentum it might bode well for her the rest of this week.

Sabine Lisicki has actually fallen below Vesnina in the rankings -- surprising, considering this time last year we were waiting for her to finally break the top ten. But a string of injuries and disappointing results, including a first round loss in Melbourne, pushed her out of the top fifty. She's still seeded fifth in Pattaya, though, and with fairly routine wins over her first two opponents this week it looks like she might be ready to stage a comeback. It should be smooth sailing for her, too -- the highest ranked player left in her half is world #60 Ayumi Morita -- so if she stays focused and healthy this could be her chance to make a move.

There are plenty players looking to relaunch their careers over in Paris as well. Lucie Safarova is just a hair off her career high ranking, but with her only win of the year coming over a sub-hundred player, it seems she's lost a little of that luster. She's struggled so far this week too, dropping sets to both Lourdes Dominguez Lino and Alize Cornet, but now in the quarters she has a chance to shine. She next faces Lucky Loser Kiki Bertens, one of last year's hottest newcomers who's already beaten a tough Tamira Paszek and fourth-seeded Dominika Cibulkova at the GDF Suez. Bertens actually won the pair's only other meeting last year at Wimbledon, so the Czech is going to have to bring her A-Game if she wants to turn the tables on her opponent. But if she does, it could do wonders for her confidence the rest of the year.

Marion Bartoli hasn't really fallen too far out of the spotlight, but after just missing her chance to qualify for Istanbul last year, she hasn't beaten a player in the top fifty yet this season -- she suffered an easy defeat in the quarters at the hands of Shenzhen finalist Klara Zakopalova to start the year and then lost a struggle to Melbourne Cinderella Ekaterina Makarova a few weeks later. So far in her homeland, the Frenchwoman's been on point -- after a tight first set, she rolled over Christina McHale to set up a third round against Hobart finalist Mona Barthel. The German beat Bartoli last April in Stuttgart, pretty easily in fact, so the on-paper favorite cannot let history get in her way -- if she's able to play her game, there's no reason she can't avenge that loss.

Petra Kvitova may have a bit more to prove. The one-time Wimbledon champion has been a fixture in the top ten for the past eighteen months or so, but last year she had been a stone's throw from grabbing the #1 spot. That goal is a bit further away these days, and after putting together a 2-3 record to start the season, it may have gotten a little more remote. The 2011 winner in Paris could have a tough time reclaiming the title -- she was challenged somewhat in her opener by Stefanie Voegele, and will meet quickly rising Kristina Mladenovic next. The Czech has won the pair's only previous meeting, at this event actually, but that was a full five years ago, and her opponent has posted some solid results herself, besting both Julia Goerges and Yanina Wickmayer on her way to the quarters. If Kvitova is going to make another play for this crown -- and turn her year around -- she'll need to keep her cool in tomorrow's match and play ball like she hasn't played yet this season.

It's not really fair to say Sara Errani hasn't followed up on her breakout season from 2012 -- but despite winning the doubles title in Melbourne she nevertheless dropped a chunk of ranking points after losing in the first round of the Australian Open singles draw. She's the top seed in Paris this week, though, so will want to step up her game and with a quarterfinal match against the woman who ousted her two weeks ago, the pressure will be on. Carla Suarrez Navarro holds a dead-even 3-3 record against the Italian, and after her win Down Under and a victory over Klara Zakopalova here, she might have the confidence to take the lead. But Errani has been a fighter on all surfaces the past year, and if she's on her game should be able to stop the bleeding -- and that win could put her season back on the right track.

All these ladies have a chance to redeem themselves over the next few days -- some get that opportunity against the very same players who stopped them in their tracks. Whether they achieve their goals or not could have a big impact on what the rest of their seasons look like and whether or not momentum stays on their side. Their years may not have gotten off to the start they wanted, but their upcoming performances might just be what it takes to turn all that around.

Déjà Vu?

At the start of this year's Australian Open, I asked my readers which pair of recent champions had the best chance to repeat in Melbourne:

1. The 2008 combination of Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic,
2. 2010 titleists Serena Williams and Roger Federer, or
3. Last year's winners Victoria Azarenka and Djokovic again.

Somewhat surprisingly, results indicated most of you expected a replay of 2012's events -- but as play began, there was plenty of reason to believe that wouldn't happen. Sharapova was on fire in early matches, losing just nine games in her first four rounds, while Serena, dominating on serve as always, out-aced everyone in the field and delivered four bagel sets to her opponents as well. For the men, Roger Federer was coming off a year that brought him back to #1 in the world and ended a two-year plus Slam drought. He was tested by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarters but, after surviving the challenge, seemed to be up to the task of returning to the crown. All of their dreams were halted, of course, some in dramatic defeat and others in shockingly one-sided losses.

But by the time we entered finals weekend, even though Option #3 was the only possible outcome, their opponents in the championship matches made it far from certain we'd be in for any kind of repeat.

Victoria Azarenka came into her second straight Major final the favorite, but still in questionable shape. She drew harsh criticism during her semifinal against Sloane Stephens for taking a medical time out late in the second set, and the crowd was against her from the start. When 2011 runner-up Na Li, who'd already picked up a title in Shenzhen this season and hadn't dropped a set yet Down Under, came back immediately after losing serve in the first game and built a 5-2 lead for herself, the defending champ seemed a little rattled. Vika eventually lost the set, but seemed to regroup to start the second. Li didn't give up though -- she managed to draw level again and even after taking a tumble and twisting her ankle kept things close. She was relentless, too, in the decider -- after suffering another fall, this time hitting her head on the ground, she still wouldn't give up. But Azarenka had found her game for good this time, and finally closed out the match -- her second Grand Slam victory -- with one more break of serve.

Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic wouldn't have an easy time in his quest to make history, either. He'd had a full two days rest since dismantling David Ferrer in his semi, and faced an opponent who'd gone four hours against four-time champion Roger Federer a round earlier, but he came on court seeming to be the more lethargic one. Andy Murray fought off all five break points in the first set and won an astonishing eighty-one percent of his first serves. He took an early lead in the tiebreak and had all momentum on his side when he won the first set. But Djokovic kept his cool and, though the Scot built a 0-40 lead early in the second and didn't lose one point on first serve until the breaker, this time was able to close out the set. The first break of serve didn't come until the thirty-first game of the match, three hours of play in, with Nole leading 4-3 -- Murray had already saved a couple opportunities, but battling blistered feet and sore hamstrings he finally dropped the game and eventually the set. His game rejuvenated, Djokovic took control in the final set, avenging his loss four months ago in New York and locking down his historic third straight victory Down Under.

It might seem like we've seen this story before -- after two weeks of big shots, huge surprises, gutsy wins and shocking upsets, we've re-crowned the same champions in Melbourne for the first time since 1993. But the campaigns didn't go quite the way they did a year ago, nor were the victories assured at any point during the fortnight.

Things may look the same, but they're different nonetheless, and with these two champions showing they can thrive under vastly dissimilar circumstances, they've ultimately served notice to everyone else in the field of just how hard it will be to derail them.

Something Old, Something New

There's a lot at stake as we enter finals weekend at this year's Australian Open -- three of the players left standing are out to prove they're no one Slam wonders, while the fourth is attempting to make history and become the first man ever to win three straight titles in Melbourne. And while they've all become familiar with playing this level of ball in recent years, there is still a feeling that we're on the verge of a new era in this sport, and each of these players could be the one ushering it in.

Defending champion Victoria Azarenka will play her second straight Major final on Saturday, her third in the past twelve months. She got here by the skin of her teeth, though, losing a set during the first week to Jamie Hampton and withstanding a controversial medical time out deep in the second set of her semi against Sloane Stephens. In the championship match she'll take on surprise finalist Na Li, the breakout Down Under two years ago -- nearly thirty-one years of age, the Chinese woman is playing her best ball late in her career, and with dominating wins over red-hot Aggie Radwanska in the quarters and 2008 champ Maria Sharapova a round later, she's shown she's far from her twilight. Li actually beat Vika here during her 2011 run, and during her campaign for the French Open that spring, but the Belorussian turned the table and has won their last four matches in a row. In about twelve hours time one of these ladies will have won her second Major title and, considering the field down in Melbourne, will have done so under some very daunting circumstances. If the world #1 has recovered enough over the last two days, this trophy is hers for the taking -- but something tells me Li's got what it takes to surprise us all.

There's more than a day left before the men's championship is decided, but the anticipation is nevertheless sky-high. Novak Djokovic has reached his sixth Slam final in his last seven tries, while Andy Murray has somehow set up a rematch of the 2011 final -- which he lost -- and the 2012 U.S. Open final -- which he won. Nole's had his scares along the way, barely making it out of the fourth round, but he sailed through his semi against relentless Spaniard David Ferrer in less than ninety minutes time. Meanwhile Murray, who hadn't faced a test at all during his first five matches in Melbourne, finally made his own history against four-time champion Roger Federer in the semis. Though he held a solid 10-9 history against the record-holding former #1, the Scot had only won one set off the Swiss at a Major. But Murray came out of the gates running in Friday's match -- with Fed likely feeling the effects of a long five-setter against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in his quarterfinal, Murray pounced early, firing off twenty-one aces and holding tough when his opponent forced another decider by winning a fourth set tiebreak. After four full hours of play, he'd notched his first Slam win over the legend, and set himself up for his sixth Major final. Nole has twice avenged his loss in New York and, having an extra day of rest after his semi, will probably be fresher for the final. But Murray seems to have finally found his game when it counts, and if he keeps his cool on Sunday, he might be the one to derail Djokovic's path to history.

It's probably not the final pairings many were expecting in Melbourne, and as these four athletes march down the aisle toward the first Grand Slam of the year, even with all their combined experience, it does seem we're going to see something special this weekend. It's no one's first time here, but the outcomes could certainly change the landscape of tennis for the rest of the year. Maybe even longer.

Shocked and Awed

The semifinal pairings are set Down Under, and it's not entirely the slate you might have expected. Sure, most of the favorites have come through, but there is one glaring exception, and even those who survived have been run through the gauntlet. And the ones who seem freshest might be the ones most under the radar.

Novak Djokovic faced his biggest scare in the round of sixteen, pushed for five hours by fifteenth seeded Stanislas Wawrinka, a man who hadn't given him much if any trouble in their last ten meetings, dating back to 2007. He had a much easier time with Tomas Berdych in the quarters, but his semifinal opponent David Ferrer was stretched to the limit. Against compatriot Nicolas Almagro, against whom he held a spotless 12-0 record, the underrated Spaniard took about an hour to find himself down two sets to love. But Almagro, always more comfortable on clay, has never gotten out of Major quarterfinal -- battling injury late in the decider, he finally succumbed, allowing the more experienced fourth seed through to another semi. Djokovic and Ferrer have a surprisingly tight history, 9-5 favoring the world #1. But only one of David's wins has come off the clay, and he's only managed to win one set at a Major. With Nole now riding a nineteen-match win streak in Melbourne, it'll be tough to unseat the two-time defending champion, but it wouldn't be the strangest thing that's happened this fortnight.

The bottom half of the men's draw has been surprisingly more calm. Andy Murray, hoping to prove he's no one-Slam wonder, is the only man standing who hasn't lost a set yet, but the two-time runner-up here has also only faced one seed in five matches. The stakes will clearly be raised in his next round. Roger Federer, playing his tenth straight semi in Melbourne, knocked out a win late Wednesday night against recent nemesis Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The Frenchman had Fed's number for most of the match, actually winning more points through the first four sets, holding the recent #1 to just two receiving points in the second. But the four-time champion Down Under was able to regroup when it counted -- Federer got the only break in the decider and the right to a twentieth meeting against Murray. Of course, the Scotsman is one of the few people with a (slight) winning record against the great Fed, and despite recent wins at the Olympics and in Shanghai, he's never made much of a dent at a Major. If that's going to change this week, he's going to play a whole other type of ball.

The seeds on the women's side didn't work out quite as neatly, as they did for the men, but until the last few hours of quarterfinal play we were expecting to see some very familiar faces contesting the ladies' title at the Australian Open. Last year's runner-up and 2008 champion Maria Sharapova has been nothing short of spectacular -- in five matches she's dropped serve just two times and has delivered five bagel sets to three different opponents. In total, she's lost only nine games. Her semifinal opponent, 2011 finalist Na Li, has been on point herself, getting revenge over for a Sydney loss to previously undefeated Agnieszka Radwanska in Tuesday's quarterfinal. But though this has been a good time of year for the Chinese woman in the past, MaSha put a definitive stop to a four-match losing streak to Li last year, and with the strong numbers she's putting up on serve, it's hard to see her giving up the advantage in the next round.

And while the performances by these ladies has been top notch, it's the results from the top half that have held the biggest surprises. Defending champion Victoria Azarenka was the first of the favorites to be tested -- she dropped her middle set to young American Jamie Hampton in the third round -- and though she found herself down an early break against resurgent Svetlana Kuznetsova in Wednesday's quarter, eventually ran off with the second to make her way back to the final four. But the drama was nothing compared to what would follow -- five-time champion Serena Williams, sporting a super-solid 40-1 record since the French Open, was widely considered the favorite here, too, despite her #3 seed. But Sloane Stephens, the youngest player in the top fifty, had different plans -- carrying her best ever ranking into the event, she hadn't met a single seed in her first four matches in Melbourne, and with a 0-5 record against top ten players her chances weren't good against her childhood idol. But after dropping the first set to Serena, she rallied in a way that no one expected -- after Williams strained her back up a break in the second, Stephens took advantage, breaking serve on three of four chances and ending a streak of twenty-eight straight set wins for Serena. When she held tough in the decider, scoring what's by far the biggest win of her nascent career, she made history as the youngest American in over a decade to make a Slam semi. Vika's gotta like this match-up a whole lot better than the one she would have faced -- she's only taken one set off Serena since her lone win in Miami four years ago -- but the way Sloane played on Thursday, she won't be an easy mark by any means.

Things are far from over, of course, and if recent results have shown us anything, you can't assume you know what's going to happen next.Just about everyone left still has a chance to take home the title in Australia, and while experience may help, it's clearly not the only thing that matters.

And as we watch all the action awestruck, we can't help but feel the best is yet to come.

Aussie Open, One Week In: Where We Stand

A week ago I made the very foolish decision to predict what Cinderellas would emerge at this year's Australian Open, and while some forecasts were way off the mark, a couple others have kept up their play even after the early rounds were through. And while some certainly have a better shot than others to stay alive, it might actually be some other fairy tales appear.

Frankly, none of my predictions for the top half of the ladies' draw made it through, but that doesn't mean only the strong have survived. Sure Serena Williams has been as dominant as she was in the back half of last year, and defending champion Victoria Azarenka has come through largely unscathed. But unseeded Svetlana Kuznetsova has played at the level we've come to expect from her, setting up a fourth round against former #1 Caroline Wozniacki. And young American Sloane Stephens, who dismissed my pick for the third quarter, has so far lived up to the expectations long set on her.

But the real surprises have come from players well off the radar. Doubles star Elena Vesnina seems to be breaking out on the singles circuit the last few weeks -- after losing the first six finals she played, the twenty-six year old Russian finally took a title in Hobart about a week ago. Already in Melbourne she's beaten rising American star Varvara Lepchenko and always tough Italian Roberta Vinci. This is the first time since her 2006 debut Down Under she's reached the fourth round here, and though she might very well be stopped short by Azarenka in the next round, she might be able to pounce if the top seed is at all off her game. And Bojana Jovanovski, who made her first Major round of sixteen with a win over seventeenth seed Lucie Safarova, set herself up for a clash with Stephens to make the quarters. The two young stars haven't met before, but the Serb's had some of her best results this time of year and might just be able to parlay that into some big results in the second week.

I did a little better with my picks in the bottom half of the bracket. Yes, Maria Sharapova has been relentless in her quest to reclaim the title she won in 2008 -- she's lost just five games in the first week -- and Aggie Radwanska has extended her 2013 win streak to thirteen matches, twenty-six sets. But last year's Cinderella, nineteenth seeded Ekaterina Makarova, has made her third straight dream run in Melbourne. The twenty-four year old stunned Marion Bartoli in the third round and then rolled over Angelique Kerber a match later. With a quarterfinal date against Sharapova, she'll have to raise her game of course, but she's beaten tougher top ten players in the past and there's no reason to believe she won't be able to do it again.

I got one pick right in the top half of the men's draw as well -- Nicolas Almagro was up a set and a few breaks when Janko Tipsarevic, coming off his second straight five-set match, was forced to retire. But though the other players remaining were all slated to advance this far, something tells me there's an upset coming. Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic was unexpectedly pushed to the limit on Sunday night -- in a five-plus hour match against largely unheralded Stanislas Wawrinka, the world #1 barely survived a 12-10 deciding set which ended just before two in the morning. He'll next meet Tomas Berdych, a man who's given him trouble in the past, and if the Czech is well rested -- and with a fairly "routine" sub-three hour fourth round himself, he should be -- we could be in for a big shock in a few days.

As for the bottom half of the men's draw, I got one pick right there as well -- Richard Gasquet hasn't had to pull off any major upsets to make his fifth straight Slam fourth round, but he'll have a tough time going farther with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga as his next opponent. But unseeded Gael Monfils put up quite a fight in his first three rounds -- unseeded at a Slam for the first time in almost five years, he battled through fourteen sets, ultimately losing to countryman Gilles Simon, 8-6 in the fifth on Saturday. He might not have gotten too far in Melbourne, but something tells me it won't be long before he is a force here again.

The real story here might be world #36 Jeremy Chardy, who only made one Major fourth round in his career. The twenty-five year old Frenchman was tested early, dropping sets to both Adrian Menendez-Maceiras and often-erratic Marcel Granollers. But his coup came in Saturday's third round against 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin Del Potro. After taking the first two sets from the sixth seed, the tide seemed to shift in favor of the tall Argentine. But after three hours of play, Chardy had forced only his eighth career fifth set, and with the only break of serve in that decider he came out the winner. He'll take on low-seed Andreas Seppi for a spot in the quarters -- the two have never met before, and are both treading in uncharted territory. If Chardy keeps his cool he might be about to make real history in the second half of this event.

So the favorites have been tested, Cinderella runs have commenced, and some players have created chances for themselves they've never had before. With the second week of play in Melbourne just about to get underway the stakes are getting higher and the pressure will be going up. But there are plenty of opportunities left for everyone still standing, and whoever pounces first might just be able to reap the biggest rewards.

Down to Business

The second week of the year's first Grand Slam is quickly approaching, and the stakes are getting higher for the players still remaining in the Australian Open draws. Some have been here before -- some many times -- but this is new territory for others, and the pressure will be on for them to really be at the top of their game.

Andreas Seppi had something of a coming-out party in 2012 -- pro for a decade, the twenty-eight year old had spent most of his career ranked in the forties or fifties, but reached a career high in October after winning titles in Moscow and Belgrade. He also gave the world a mini heart attack at Roland Garros when he took a two-set lead over Novak Djokovic. It was the first Major fourth round he'd ever played, though, so you can understand the nerves he might have felt. The Italian will have a chance to get back to the final sixteen when he plays a wholly beatable Marin Cilic in Melbourne tomorrow. The Croat won't go easily though -- he's won at least three rounds here the last four times he's come Down Under -- so Seppi will have to dig deep if he wants to improve his 3-5 record. But if he's playing the kind of ball we've seen from him the last twelve months, it wouldn't surprise me to see the win.

South Africa's Kevin Anderson has already had a bit of a fairy tale run in Australia -- a place where he'd only gotten out of the first round once before. Though he reached the final in Sydney a week ago, he wasn't seeded at the Open and so lurked as a hidden threat to the favorites. On Friday he took the chance to pounce -- coming back from two-sets-to-one down to 2009 semifinalist Fernando Verdasco, the big-serving collegiate star took a long fourth set to force a decider and ultimately sailed through the fifth. He'll have a tough time from here -- Anderson next faces a rematch of last year's third round against Tomas Berdych, a man who's won all four of their previous matches, all during 2012. The Czech hasn't been tested much yet in Melbourne, either, so if Anderson is going to make a play, he's going to have to play big.

Sloane Stephens hasn't yet reached the fourth round of Melbourne, but with a win over Dominika Cibulkova in Brisbane and a run to the semis in Hobart, expectations are high for the young American. She had her breakout last year in Paris, of course, but now that she's reached Major seeding territory, she'll not want to disappoint -- and with solid wins over Kristina Mladenovic and one-time upstart Simona Halep, so far she hasn't. She'll be tested by fellow Cinderella Laura Robson in the next round though. With a win over one-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova on Thursday, the young Brit seems to be making a career out of defeating Grand Slam winners. But Sloane beat her contemporary about a week ago in Hobart, so she should have momentum on her side -- and if she makes another round of sixteen at a Major, she'll do quite a lot to silence critics who say the future of U.S. tennis is so weak.

Kirsten Flipkens has already landed the first punch in her quest to make this her breakthrough Slam -- the twenty-seven year old also reached career highs in 2012, , making the semis in 's-Hertogenbosch and taking the title in Quebec City. But she'd never done well at the Majors, and didn't even qualify for the main draw here last year. Now ranked #43 in the world, though -- her highest ever career ranking -- she decimated Shenzhen finalist Klara Zakopalova and, though she struggled a bit in Friday's third round, ultimately scored the win over qualifier Valeria Savinykh. Flipkens might have the toughest route of the lot -- the Belgian next faces 2008 Australian champion Maria Sharapova, a woman she's lost to twice, dating all the way back to 2003. But even if she doesn't win, she might have gained the confidence she needs to really shine the rest of the year. And it might not be long before we see her really taking it to the stars in this sport.

The task ahead for any of these players is not an easy one -- they might have shown some of their best results over the last week, but with so many of the favorites still in the mix, it's only going to get harder from here. But we all know that anything can happen at the Majors, and if they keep their focus when the pressure is highest, there's no reason to believe their best is behind them.

A Tale of Two Seedings

It's been an interesting couple days down in Melbourne -- with just a round and a half of play in the books at the Australian Open, a full quarter of seeded players have already been eliminated. And while some of those remaining have sailed through early matches, others have been struggling just to survive. And that could create some big opportunities for everyone who's left.

The Good

Things have been fairly easy for the top seeds, though that's not to say there hasn't been any drama. Maria Sharapova, winner here in 2008, hasn't dropped a game yet in her first two rounds; neither has Serena Williams, but the top American in either draw did take quite a tumble in her Tuesday match. She'll test that ankle in Day four against young Spaniard Garbine Muguruza who needed more than three hours to reach her first Major second round -- but considering Williams won eight straight games after her injury, it might be more of a pop quiz than a final exam. Other ladies have been just as strong -- Victoria Azarenka kept her record against potentially tough Monica Niculescu a perfect 5-0 and fourth seeded Aggie Radwanska, after trading breaks throughout her first set with wildcard Bojana Bobusic, eventually went on to win that set and the next three.

The favorites on the men's side have been similarly dominant. Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic was pushed a bit in his first round by veteran Paul-Henri Mathieu, but came back strong to take out Ryan Harrison easily on Wednesday. The three other former Major winners in the draw have only played one match each so far, and none has lost a set. U.S. Open champion Andy Murray takes on little-known Joao Sousa in his second round while Juan Martin Del Potro, the 2009 titleist in New York, meets an always-feisty Benjamin Becker. They both should be able to get through these obstacles, though, but Roger Federer -- by far the most decorated of the group -- will likely face the biggest challenge when he faces former world #3 Nikolay Davydenko. The veteran Russian has been trying to stage a comeback the last several months, and while he could very well lose the match anyway, he's the most likely to put up a fight.

We've also seen some inspiring performances from those outside the top ten early on. Seven-time Major champion Venus Williams lost just one game in her opener and was similarly strong against one-time top-fifteen player Alize Cornet a round later. And Fernando Verdasco, a semifinalist here in 2009 and my Cinderella pick for his quarter, was tested early by French Open standout David Goffin, but rebounded quickly to take out veteran Xavier Malisse earlier today. They're both seeded on the low side, but it wouldn't be the biggest stretch to see either extend their runs a few rounds longer.

The Bad

It hasn't been all good news for the more favored, however. Eleventh seed Juan Monaco crashed out in the first round, last year's Cinderella Sara Errani fell in straight sets on Tuesday, and Nadia Petrova, one of the biggest surprises of last year, was summarily dismissed by uber-veteran Kimiko Date Krumm, barely notching a game on the scoreboard before making her exit. Others seemed to survive early challenges, though, only to crumble just when you thought they were safe.

Tamira Paszek was both one of the most promising and one of the most disappointing players of 2012. After making the quarters at Wimbledon, she faded quickly and was riding a four match losing streak as she headed to Melbourne. She'd horded away enough points to keep a seed here, but I was frankly and pleasantly surprised when she made it through her opener against Stefanie Voegele, a woman who had won three matches in Shenzhen. But Paszek's run wouldn't last -- it took less than an hour for seventeen-year-old Madison Keys to notch a win on Wednesday. The American upstart fired off twenty-three winners to her opponent's six, won three quarters of her net points, and dropped just three points on first serve. Paszek didn't have any points to defend in Australia -- the only Slam she'd had any impact on was at the All England Club -- but her quick exit doesn't bode well for her the rest of the season, so she'll want to turn her luck around as soon as she can.

Sam Stosur probably still has a lot more game left in her, but you might be questioning that, given her performances so far in 2013. The world #9 was oh-and-two coming into her home Slam, and struggled early against easily-overlooked Kai-Chen Chang in her opener. The woman from Taipei kept pace with Stosur early on Monday -- incidentally her twenty-second birthday -- serving for and to stay in the first set a few times. Eventually the favorite prevailed, but she'd be challenged again Wednesday by one-time Aussie semifinalist Jie Zheng, ironically, the same woman who beat her last week in Sydney. After dominating the second set to force a decider, Stosur was caught on the losing side of an hour-long third and was sent home early, yet again. This has certainly never been her best Slam, but I'm sure the Australian #1 was hoping to put in a slightly better showing Down Under this year. Hopefully she'll be able to right the ship before long -- it'd be a shame to lose such a strong talent so soon after she peaked.

The Ugly

Of course not all those who were challenged came out on the losing end of things, but that doesn't mean they weren't left bruised and battered nonetheless. Julia Goerges battled the sun as well as her opponent in Monday's first round against Vera Dushevina, while Jurgen Melzer, struggling over the last several months, held off 2012 Cinderella Mikhail Kukushkin in his opener and lost two tiebreaks to surprise Brisbane finalist Roberto Bautista-Agut before pulling out the win. But a few others kept their fans on the edge of their collective seat throughout their most recent match.

Jerzy Janowicz wasn't even on the radar at this time last year, but the big-serving Pole has cut his ranking from the sub-two hundreds to top-thirty thanks to a Cinderella run at the Paris Masters. Seeded for the first time at a Major -- he's only played in three total -- he comes to Melbourne with a lot to prove. After a fairly routine opener, though, he was really challenged. Near the end of a long first set against long-absent Somdev Devvarman, the young Jerzy began to lose his cool -- a lines call went against him, he yelled at the chair umpire, and was cited for unsportsmanlike conduct. He lost the second set, too, losing serve twice and unable to break in return, but finally started to settle down in the third. After four hours the twenty-fourth seed was finally able to close out the win, but if he's going to stand a chance against Nicolas Almagro in the next round, he'll have to make sure he stays on the ball from the start.

Janko Tipsarevic is famous for dropping the ball on the court -- one of Jerzy's victims in Paris, the Serbian #2 can be a little cranky when things don't go his way. He could have gotten in a lot of trouble early -- he opened against hometown favorite Lleyton Hewitt -- but ended up really being tested in the late-night match on Wednesday. He got off to a two-set-to-love lead on world #44 Lukas Lacko, but then seemed to get a bit too comfortable. The Slovakian took charge in the third set, got the lead in the fourth and even saved match points in the decider. But Tipsy pulled himself together just in time, finally breaking again and taking the match -- ultimately finishing with one point less than his opponent, actually. He's never made it out of the third round in Melbourne, though, so he'll have to bring it against Julien Benneteau in the next round, because if he doesn't things might get even uglier.

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As should be expected at the Majors, some seeds have lived up to expectations while others have fallen under the pressure. But the way everyone's playing, even those who've been dominating will need to step up their game while those who've just barely survived will feel the heat of more than just the Australian summer sun.

But the Slams are where we separate the men from the boys, so those who've struggled so far will need to shake those jitters fast. Because the favorites aren't ceding any ground in Melbourne, and it'll be up to them to prove they belong.