2012 Australian Open: Player Previews

David Ferrer perhaps isn’t receiving the same attention as Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer leading up to the 2012 Australian Open. As the world No. 5-ranked men’s tennis player, perhaps he should. Coming off a win over Olivier Rochus in the final of the 2012 Heineken Open on Saturday, his confidence will no doubt be high.

Over four matches at the rain-soaked tournament in Auckland, Ferrer dropped just one out of nine sets he played. He also won last year’s Heineken Open, defeating David Nalbandian in another straight set victory.

U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur looks to add another Grand Slam to her collection when she begins play in the 2012 Australian Open in Melbourne.

She won the 2011 US Open singles title and was a finalist at the 2010 French Open. Stosur is ranked World No. 6 and her career high in singles is World No. 4, achieved on 21 February 2011. She is a former world No. 1 on the WTA Tour in doubles with Lisa Raymond from the United States.

The women’s draw for the Australian Open was revealed on Friday and world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki could face last year’s runner-up Li Na, the fifth seed, in the quarterfinals in Melbourne.

The reigning French Open champion Li has beaten Wozniacki in their last three meetings, all in Australia.

Maria Sharapova will be the No. 4 seed on the women’s side of the 2012 Australian Open as she attempts to win her second tournament here.

The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) has ranked Sharapova world no. 1 in singles on four separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on August 22, 2005, and last regained this ranking for the fourth time on May 19, 2008. As of November, 2011 Sharapova is ranked world no. 4. She has been in five Grand Slam finals with the final record 3–2.

Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka defeated reigning champion Li Na in Friday’s final at the $637,000 Sydney International tennis tournament, a final Australian Open tuneup. And now that the Aussie Open is here, she’ll open as third-seed against Great Britain’s

The 22-year-old Azarenka picked up her ninth career title and won a second consecutive match against Li in the Syndey tournament, having defeated her in the season- ending WTA Championships last year. The Belarusian is now 3-4 lifetime against Li, who won their meeting in last season’s Aussie Open on the way to an appearance in the final in Melbourne.

The women’s draw for the Australian Open was revealed on Friday and Czech left-hander Petra Kvitova, who captured Wimbledon and WTA Championship titles and was named the WTA’s player of the year in 2011, headlines the bottom quarter as the No. 2 seed overall.

She is one of nine Grand Slam champs and six players who could be No. 1 after the 2012 Aussie Open.

Top-seed Caroline Wozniacki will play Austrailian Anastasia Rodionova in the first round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam event of 2012.

Wozniacki, who lost in the semifinals here in 2011, her highest finish at the event, could eventually face third-seeded Belarussian Victoria Azarenka, who opens against Britian’s Heather Watson.