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Serena Williams USA (1) v Urszula Radwanska POL
Petra Kvitova CZE v Jill Craybas USA
Renata Voracova CZE (Q) v Andrea Petkovic GER
Ayumi Morita JPN v Carla Suarez Navarro ESP (32)
Sabine Lisicki GER (21) v Petra Martic CRO
Varvara Lepchenko USA v Alberta Brianti ITA
Kristina Barrois GER v Akgul Amanmuradova UZB
Xinyun Han CHN (Q) v Samantha Stosur AUS (13)
Vera Zvonareva RUS (9) v Kristina Kucova SVK
Kai-Chen Chang TPE v Iveta Benesova CZE
Zuzana Kucova SVK (Q) v Gisela Dulko ARG
Shenay Perry USA (Q) v Ana Ivanovic SRB (20)
Elena Vesnina RUS (28) v Tathiana Garbin ITA
Kimiko Date Krumm JPN v Yaroslava Shvedova KAZ
Stefanie Voegele SUI v Melinda Czink HUN
Stephanie Cohen-Aloro FRA v Victoria Azarenka BLR (7)
Good to see American Shenay Perry back in a main draw, though her first task will be to slay the former finalist. As poorly as Ana Ivanovic has been playing of late, it won't happen. But I won't be surprised if it does.
Melinda Czink has a good chance to muffle the shriek of the No. 7 seed in the second round, but first Victoria Azarenka will hae to hit past the tricky Frenchwoman in the first round.
Who said that there are little land mines littered about the draw for most of the contenders and top players? Whoever it was, I'd have to agree. Serena Williams hasn't defended a Slam title since 2003 nor has she ever lost in the first round of a major. I don't see her breaking either streak this year in Melbourne, but if she must, then she defends her title. The hard-hitting lefty Petra Kvitova represents danger in round 2. If Serena gets past that, this quarter is hers for the taking.
Darkhorse: Kamiko Date Krumm
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Caroline Wozniacki DEN (4) v Aleksandra Wozniak CAN
Tamira Paszek AUT v Julia Goerges GER
Galina Voskoboeva KAZ v Tsvetana Pironkova BUL
Lucie Hradecka CZE v Shahar Peer ISR (29)
Daniela Hantuchova SVK (22) v Viktoriya Kutuzova UKR
Jarmila Groth AUS v Sofia Arvidsson SWE (Q)
Stephanie Dubois CAN v Agnes Szavay HUN
Marina Erakovic NZL v Na Li CHN (16)
Agnieszka Radwanska POL (10) v Tatjana Malek GER
Melanie Oudin USA v Alla Kudryavtseva RUS
Julie Coin FRAv Alicia Molik AUS
Alize Cornet FRA v Francesca Schiavone ITA (17)
Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP (25) v Karolina Sprem CRO
Anastasiya Yakimova BLR v Casey Dellacqua AUS
Arantxa Parra Santonja ESP v Sybille Bammer AUT
Lucie Safarova CZE v Venus Williams USA (6)
Land mines all over this quarter for the top seeds. The hard-hitting lefty Lucie Safarova might dismiss Venus out of the gate. The Wozniack without the i could topple the one with it. If those upsets happen, this quarter is wide open. Even if they don't, this quarter is wide open. Look for homegirls Alicia Molik and Jarmila Groth to do some damage, but I can't see either physically able to withstand more than a few wins.
Tucked away in this quarter is Miss Melanie Oudin. I believe she'll have to deal with her sophomore slump this year but taking on the hard-hitting Russian in the first round should suit her just fine. She'll drop a set, win the match, and then bow out to the older Radwanska in round 2.
On the strength of her Hobart run and the fact that she's gone deep in this even before, I'll give Shahar Pe'er the nod to make her first Slam semifinal.
Darkhorse: Lucie Safarova
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Elena Dementieva RUS (5) v Vera Dushevina RUS
Kirsten Flipkens BEL v Justine Henin BEL
Sorana Cirstea ROU v Olivia Rogowska AUS
Jelena Dokic AUS v Alisa Kleybanova RUS (27)
Virginie Razzano FRA (18) v Ekaterina Makarova RUS
Klara Zakopalova CZE v Sara Errani ITA
Yanina Wickmayer BEL (Q) v Alexandra Dulgheru ROU
Anna Chakvetadze RUS v Flavia Pennetta ITA (12)
Kim Clijsters BEL (15) v Valerie Tetreault CAN (Q)
Sesil Karatantcheva KAZ v Tamarine Tanasugarn THA
Yung-Jan Chan TPE v Kaia Kanepi EST
Edina Gallovits ROU v Nadia Petrova RUS (19)
Aravane Rezai FRA (26) v Sania Mirza IND
Olga Govortsova BLR v Angelique Kerber GER (Q)
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova RUS v Anastasija Sevastova LAT
Anastasia Rodionova AUS v Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (3)
Toughest quarter of the draw. The Sydney champion will face the Brisbane runner-up in round 2. And both of them will be there as neither of their compatriots will be able to challenge much in round 1. Alisa Kleybanova will face a re-match against Jelena Dokic to reprise their fourth round barnburner from last year. Dokic took that match, but barely. It will be on both their minds from the first point.
Check Yanina Wickmayer's scores in qualifying. She's confident, she's ready, and she's been given a second chance. I'm not sure I'd want to play her if I'm one of the women in that section.
The reigning US Open champion will cruise through her first four matches, but the woman most are predicting to win the whole thing won't get out of the quarterfinals. She'll bow on the big stage one more time to the Diminutive One.
Other first-round matches to watch: Aravane Rezai v. Sania Mirza; Sesil Karatantcheva v. Tamarine Tanasugarn; Sorana Cirstea v. Olgo Rogowska
Darkhorse: Jelena Dokic
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Jelena Jankovic SRB (8) v Monica Niculescu ROU
Patricia Mayr AUT v Katie O'Brien GBR
Yuliana Fedak UKR (Q) v Polona Hercog SLO
Kathrin Woerle GER (Q) v Alona Bondarenko UKR (31)
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez ESP (24) v Evgeniya Rodina RUS
Jie Zheng CHN v Shuai Peng CHN
Coco Vandeweghe USA v Sandra Zahlavova CZE
Rossana De Los Rios PAR v Marion Bartoli FRA (11)
Maria Sharapova RUS (14) v Maria Kirilenko RUS
Yvonne Meusburger AUT (Q) v Timea Bacsinszky SUI
Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER v Roberta Vinci ITA
Vania King USA v Dominika Cibulkova SVK (23)
Kateryna Bondarenko UKR (30) v Ioana Raluca Olaru ROU
Pauline Parmentier FRA v Elena Baltacha GBR
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova CZE v Regina Kulikova RUS (Q)
Magdalena Rybarikova SVK v Dinara Safina RUS (2)
There isn't a whole lot going on down here. Dinara Safina may see her earliest exit at a Slam in years if Magdalena Rybarikova is ready for her closeup. Jelena Jankovic will win a few rounds, but I'm not so sure she'll get past Alona Bondarenko, Hobart champion, in round 3.
Look for Marion Bartoli to make a little noise, but, brace yourselves and don't ask me why, but I'm picking Maria Sharapova to win this quarter. That is, if she can get past Dominika Cibulkova.
Darkhorse: Vania King
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