We break out of the gates quickly in January, so quickly that the players barely seem able to make it from one tournament to the next Down Under. Grigor Dimitrov, his mind already on a plane to Sydney, rolled over Mardy Fish so easily at the Hopman Cup in Perth that he almost got a punch in the mouth for it later. Flavia Pennetta, after winning a point in the rain-delayed final in Auckland, could be seen sneaking a peak at her watch. She was also heading to Sydney later that day. Unfortunately, she didn't make it; Flavia injured her back and had to retire from the match and withdraw from the next event.
It's tough to keep up, especially if you happen to be on the other side of the globe. As often happens by the time I sit down to a preview a tournament on a Monday morning in New York, one of its top seeds is already out. On more than one occasion, that early victim has been Sam Stosur, and that’s the case once again. The fifth seed in Sydney lost to Francesca Schiavone in straight sets in their opener. I was all set to ask whether Sam was ready, after her Grand Slam breakthrough at Flushing Meadows, to hold up under the home-country pressure after wilting under it in Melbourne in 2011. The early answer is: Not quite yet.
But Sam shouldn’t feel too badly. She’s obviously lost to Schiavone before, and Sydney is about as strong as a WTA tournament gets. Stosur was the fifth seed, and she’s ranked sixth in the world. Let’s start with this event and work down this week's tune-up list from there.
Apia Sydney International (WTA)
Sydney, Australia
Hard Courts
$637,000; Premier
Draw is here
Forget the Australian Open for a minute: Nine of the current Top 10 women are in attendance in Sydney; only Maria Sharapova is missing. The anticipated storyline is a final-round clash between Caroline Wozniacki and Petra Kvitova for the No. 1 ranking—but not for the No. 1 seed in Melbourne; that’s already been awarded to Wozniacki. If Kvitova does take over the top spot this weekend, the Aussie Open will be in the strange and perhaps unprecedented position of having a second seed who is No. 1 in the world.
But there is, as they say, a lot of tennis to be played before that. Wozniacki in particular has a tough road ahead of her. She starts with Cibulkova, who beat her at Wimbledon last year. Then she gets the winner of Radwanska-Petkovic, and might face Azarenka in the semifinals. Kvitova’s side isn’t quite as stocked: She begins with Dulgheru, and Li Na is the only seed left in her half after Stosur’s loss and Svetlana Kuznetsova’s surprisingly easy 6-1, 6-2 win over fourth seed Vera Zvonareva.
Kvitova and Wozniacki are the same age and have very different styles. Maybe, if they both negotiate their sides of the draw, we’ll get to see an early round in a new rivalry for women’s tennis.
Three other points of interest: Ana Ivanovic is already gone, a straight-set victim to Lucie Safarova. Last year Kuznetsova started well, until her heart- and back-breaking loss to Schiavone in Melbourne. She appears to be starting well again. Azarenka, No. 3 in the world, has also been quick on the uptake Down Under in years past. She could spoil the No. 1-No. 2 party, both here and at the Aussie Open.
Apia International Sydney
Sydney, Australia
Hard Courts
$434,250; 250 ranking points
Draw is here
With $200,000 fewer dollars and just 250 ranking points on the line, the men’s version of Sydney is not as big a deal as the women’s. And it shows in the draw: Juan Martin del Potro, ranked No. 11 at the moment, is the top seed, and his fellow twin tower John Isner is second. In between is a deep run of the ATP rank-and-file, from Gasquet to Lopez to Troicki to Baghdatis to Fognini to Haase, right down to U.S. journeymen Bobby Reynolds, Ryan Sweeting, and Michael Russell. Of greatest interest to the locals is part-time player, part-time commentator Lleyton Hewitt, who opens against Troicki.
Potentially of significance longer-term: If either Isner or del Potro win this, it will set them up as a consensus dark horse for the Aussie Open. It also might make them tired.
Heineken Open
Auckland, New Zealand
Rebound Ace
$398,250; 250 ranking points
Draw is here
If Sydney has a modest men’s draw, Auckland’s is, well, even more modest. Its most notable feature is its Spanish-ness: The top three seeds are Ferrer, Almagro, and Verdasco, and four of their countrymen are scattered through the draw. Last year Ferrer won this tournament and used it as a springboard to reach the semis in Melbourne. It will be interesting to see how the ever-improving Ferru begins what looks to be a very promising season.
Also of note: two American wild cards, Sam Querrey and Ryan Harrison, play each other in the first round. Another Yank, Donald Young, has lost to Alejandro Falla in three sets.
Moorilla Hobart International
Hobart, Australia
Hard courts
$220,000
Draw is here
The last and sleepiest tournament of the week is being played in Hobart. Yanina Wickmayer is the top seed; she’s another player who has a habit of starting fast. Also here: Medina Garrigues, Kerber, Peer, Niculescu, and Chakvetadze. It won’t be the most momentous event of the year, but it has already produced what looked, from its scoreline, to have been a heckuva first-round match: Bulgaria’s Tsvetana Pironkova beat the U.K.’s Heather Watson 7-6 (10), 3-6, 7-6 (2).
We’re sprinting through Australia, but the marathon has only begun.