Australian Open [Women] - Grand Slam

[tented]

DATE: January 20 - February 2, 2020
SURFACE: Hard
PRIZE MONEY: A$71,000,000
FIELD SIZE: 128
DEFENDING CHAMPION: Naomi Osaka

Seeds:

1. Ashleigh Barty
2. Karolina Pliskova
3. Naomi Osaka
4. Simona Halep
5. Elina Svitolina
6. Belinda Bencic
7. Petra Kvitova
8. Serena Williams
9. Kiki Bertens
10. Madison Keys
11. Aryna Sabalenka
12. Johanna Konta
13. Petra Martic
14. Sofia Kenin
15. Marketa Vondrousova
16. Elise Mertens
17. Angelique Kerber
18. Alison Riske
19. Donna Vekic
20. Karolina Muchova
21. Amanda Amisimova
22. Maria Sakkari
23. Dayana Yastremska
24. Sloane Stephens
25. Ekaterina Alexandrova
26. Danielle Collins
27. Wang Qiang
28. Anett Kontaveit
29. Elena Rybakina
30. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
31. Anastasija Sevastova
32. Barbora Strycova

The Tournament:

The Australian Open is the first of the four Grand Slam tennis events of the year and has been staged since 1905. Prior to 1988 the tournament was played on grass. Since 1988 two types of hardcourt surfaces have been used at Melbourne Park (formely known as Flinders Park) - Rebound Ace to 2007 and then Plexicushion.

Attendances at the Australian Open are second only to the US Open and the showcourts are the Rod Laver Arena, Hisense Arena and the refurbished Margaret Court Arena. All are equipped with retractable roofs.

About Melbourne:

Melbourne is the state capital of Victoria in Queensland and regularly features in the top ranks of the "most livable" cities in the world. It is the second largest city in Australia (after Sydney) with a population of just over 4.5 million.

Founded in 1835, The metropolis is located on the large natural bay of Port Phillip and expands into the hinterlands towards the Dandenong and Macedon mountain ranges, Mornington Peninsula and Yarra Valley.

At the city's centre is the modern Federation Square development, with plazas, bars, and restaurants by the Yarra River. In the Southbank area, the Melbourne Arts Precinct is the site of Arts Centre Melbourne – a performing arts complex – and the National Gallery of Victoria, with Australian and indigenous art.

Tourism Guide:


TV Coverage:

Africa:
Algeria - beIN Sports
Angola - SuperSport
Benin - Eurosport, SuperSport
Botswana - SuperSport
Burkina Faso - Eurosport, SuperSport
Burundi - Eurosport, SuperSport
Cameroon - Eurosport, SuperSport
Cape Verde - SuperSport
Central African Republic - Eurosport, SuperSport
Chad - beIN Sports, SuperSport
Comoros - SuperSport
Congo - Eurosport, SuperSport
Cote d'Ivoire - Eurosport, SuperSport
Democratic Republic of Congo - Eurosport, SuperSport
Djibouti - beIN Sports, SuperSport
Equatorial Guinea - Eurosport, SuperSport
Eritrea - SuperSport
Ethiopia - SuperSport
Gabon - SuperSport
Gambia - SuperSport
Ghana - SuperSport
Guinea - SuperSport
Guinea-Bissau - SuperSport
Kenya - SuperSport
Lesotho - SuperSport
Liberia - SuperSport
Libya - beIN Sports
Madagascar - SuperSport
Malawi - SuperSport
Mauritania - beIN Sports, SuperSport
Mauritius - SuperSport
Mayotte - SuperSport
Morocco - beIN Sports
Mozambique - SuperSport
Nambia - SuperSport
Niger - Eurosport, SuperSport
Nigeria - SuperSport
Reunion - SuperSport
Rwanda - Eurosport, SuperSport
Sao Tome and Principe - SuperSport
Senegal - Eurosport, SuperSport
Seychelles - SuperSport
Sierra Leone - SuperSport
Socotra - SuperSport
Somalia - beIN Sports, SuperSport
South Africa - SuperSport
South Sudan - beIN Sports, SuperSport
St Helena - SuperSport
Sudan - beIN Sports, SuperSport
Swaziland - SuperSport
Tanzania - SuperSport
Togo - Eurosport, SuperSport
Tunisia - beIN Sports
Uganda - SuperSport
Zambia - SuperSport
Zanzibar - SuperSport
Zimbabwe - SuperSport

Asia Pacific & Oceania:
American Samoa - Tennis Channel, ESPN
Australia - Nine
Bangladesh - Sony Six
Bhutan - Sony Six
Brunei - Fox Sports
Cambodia - Fox Sports
China - CCTV, iQIYI , Beijing TV, Guangdong TV, Great Sports Channel (Shanghai), Fox Sports (hotels only)
Cook Islands - ESPN International
East Timor - Fox Sports
Fiji - FBC TV
Guam - Fox Sports, Tennis Channel, ESPN International
French Polynesia - ESPN
Hong Kong - Fox Sports
India - Sony Six
Indonesia - Fox Sports
Japan - NHK, WOWOW
Kiribati - ESPN International
Laos - Fox Sports
Macau - Fox Sports
Malaysia - Fox Sports
Maldives - Sony Six
Marshall Islands - ESPN
Micronesia - Fox Sports, ESPN International
Mongolia - Fox Sports
Myanmar - Fox Sports
Nepal - Sony Six
New Zealand - SKY
Niue - ESPN International
North Korea - Fox Sports
Northern Marianas - Tennis Channel
Palau - ESPN
Papua New Guinea - Fox Sports
Philippines - Fox Sports
Samoa - ESPN International
Singapore - Fox Sports
South Korea - Fox Sports
Sri Lanka - Sony Six
Tahiti - ESPN International
Taiwan - Fox Sports
Thailand - Fox Sports
Tokelau - ESPN International
Tonga - ESPN International
Tuvalu - ESPN International
Vietnam - Fox Sports
Western Samoa - ESPN International

Central Asia:
Afghanistan - Sony Six
Azerbaijan - Eurosport
Kazakhstan - Eurosport
Kyrgyzstan - Eurosport
Tajikistan - Eurosport
Turkmenistan - Eurosport
Uzbekistan - Eurosport
Pakistan - Sony Six

Europe:
Albania - Eurosport
Andorra - Eurosport
Armenia - Eurosport
Austria - Eurosport, ServusTV
Belarus - Eurosport
Belgium - Eurosport
Bosnia-Herzegovina - Eurosport
Bulgaria - Eurosport
Croatia - Eurosport
Cyprus - Eurosport
Czech Republic - Eurosport
Denmark - Eurosport
Estonia - Eurosport
Finland - Eurosport
France - Eurosport
Georgia - Eurosport
Germany - Eurosport
Greece - Eurosport
Hungary - Eurosport
Iceland - Eurosport
Ireland - Eurosport
Israel - Eurosport
Italy - Eurosport
Kosovo - Eurosport
Latvia - Eurosport
Liechtenstein - Eurosport
Lithuania - Eurosport
Luxembourg - Eurosport
Macedonia - Eurosport
Malta - Eurosport
Moldova - Eurosport
Monaco - Eurosport
Montenegro - Eurosport
Netherlands - Eurosport
Norway - Eurosport
Poland - Eurosport
Portugal - Eurosport
Romania - Eurosport
Russia - Eurosport
San Marino - Eurosport
Serbia - Eurosport
Slovakia - Eurosport
Slovenia - Eurosport
Spain - Eurosport
Sweden - Eurosport
Switzerland - Eurosport, SSR SRG
Turkey - Eurosport
Ukraine - Eurosport
United Kingdom - Eurosport
Vatican State - Eurosport

Latin America & Caribbean:
Anguilla - ESPN International
Antigua - ESPN International
Argentina - ESPN International
Aruba - ESPN International
Ascension Island - ESPN International
Bahamas - ESPN International
Barbados - ESPN International
Barbuda - ESPN International
Bermuda - ESPN International
Bolivia - ESPN International
Bonaire - ESPN International
Brazil - ESPN International
British Virgin Islands - ESPN International
Cayman Islands - ESPN International
Chile - ESPN International
Colombia - ESPN International
Costa Rica - ESPN International
Curacao - ESPN International
Dominica - ESPN International
Dominican Republic - ESPN International
Ecuador - ESPN International
El Salvador - ESPN International
Falkland Islands - ESPN International
French Guiana - ESPN International
Grenada - ESPN International
Guadeloupe - ESPN International
Guatemala - ESPN International
Guyana - ESPN International
Haiti - ESPN International
Honduras - ESPN International
Jamaica - ESPN International
Martinique - ESPN International
Mexico - ESPN International
Montserrat - ESPN International
Nicaragua - ESPN International
Panama - ESPN International
Paraguay - ESPN International
Peru - ESPN International
Puerto Rico - ESPN International, Tennis Channel
St Barthelemy - ESPN International
St Kitts/Nevis - ESPN International
St Lucia - ESPN International
St Maarten - ESPN International
Suriname - ESPN International
Trinidad & Tobago - ESPN International
Turks & Caicos - ESPN International
Uruguay - ESPN International
Venezuela - ESPN International
U.S Virgin Islands - ESPN, Tennis Channel

Middle East:
Bahrain - beIN Sports
Egypt - beIN Sports
Iran - beIN Sports
Iraq - beIN Sports
Israel - Eurosport
Jordan - beIN Sports
Kuwait - beIN Sports
Lebanon - beIN Sports
Oman - beIN Sports
Palestine - beIN Sports
Qatar - beIN Sports
Saudi Arabia - beIN Sports
Syria - beIN Sports
United Arab Emirates - beIN Sports
Yemen - beIN Sports

North America:
Canada - TSN (English) RDS (French)
USA - ESPN, Tennis Channel

 

[AnonymousFan]

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Hell Miss Vee vs Coco Gauff again like Wimbledon in the 1st rd.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

I did a quick projected women's quarters.

Barty-Kvitova
Osaka-Serena Williams
Bencic-Halep
Svitolina-Karolina Pliskova

 

[AnonymousFan]

USO Twitter:

 

[the AntiPusher]

Damn ..Vee can't get no love with the draw.. However..I got Vee taking out young Coco

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Top Half of the draw is loaded,

Barty,Osaka,Kvitova,Serena,

Bottom Half,

Pliskova,Halep,Svitolina,Bencic.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw a first rd match Venus Williams vs Coco Gauf again like at Wimbledon last year.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Projected Round of 16,

Barty-Martic
Keys-Kvitova
Osaka-Kenin
Konta-Serena
Bencic-Sabalenka
Mertens-Halep
Svitolina-Bertens
Vondrousova-Pliskova

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Projected women's quarters if the seeds hold up

Barty-Kvitova
Osaka-S.Williams
Bencic-Halep
Svitolina-Karolina Pliskova.

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Top half of the women's draw will play on Monday.

 

[10isfan]

Not happy to see Serena having to meet Osaka. I think Halep won’t get too far which means the draw is very unbalanced.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

I think Halep has the easiest draw among the top four.

 

[GameSetAndMath]

While I have no clue who will win, I can say for sure it won't be Pliskobot.

 

[10isfan]

While I have no clue who will win, I can say for sure it won't be Pliskobot.

Why so sure? She’s playing well and has as much chance as any other player.

 

[kskate2]

Why so sure? She’s playing well and has as much chance as any other player.

He's sure because the Brisbane winner never wins at Aus.

 

[kskate2]

I think Halep has the easiest draw among the top four.

I disagree with that. There are a few players who could blow her off the court like Brady, Collins and Belinda. I think Simo could actually go out earlier than the other top seeds.

 

[tenisplayrla08]

Well. I've written and deleted two long, rambling posts. Because they didn't say much. Just more of me saying, "Anything can happen in the current WTA climate." Which isn't wrong. Yes there are favorites. Yes I want Serena to get number 24. Yes she looks good and can totally do it. So can Osaka. I'm still a big fan of Osaka. But I'm not necessarily pulling for her to defend this title. I'm inclined to never bet on Pliskova. But she can do it too. So could Barty or Halep. So could 5 other women. 10 or more other women could have "surprise" runs. I'm inclined to think Kvitova will not back up her final. Maybe she surprises us and wins it this time. It'd be a welcome surprise. Who is gonna be a bust and who is a dark horse and who can't be a dark horse according to Tennis mag because they're ranked from 10 to 20... it doesn't matter. (Don't sleep on Sabalenka and Konta. And probably don't sleep on Kenin. Stephens is in her portion of the draw so I'm not pulling for Kenin. But Stephens will probably let me down and Kenin will probably do better.)

I'm just excited for it all. Maybe because we've had the same 3 men winning on the men's side and Serena mostly dominating for the first half of the last decade. I don't know why. But I'm living for the surprises.
Who is still an unknown quantity? I'd like to see Muchova back up her Wimbledon run. CiCi Bellis is back and healthy and could get Muchova in the second round. What can she do now? Did her loss of momentum stunt her? I HATE to see young players cut down by injuries, a la Bencic a few years ago. It can actually make me a fan of someone even if I wasn't a big fan of them right out the gate. I wanna see them be able to come back. We'll find out. Bertens has a terrible record here and struggles with pressure at the slams and is at her best on clay. Maybe her 2 year run is coming to an end and she'll slow down and fall out of the top 10 and top 20. Maybe she's not injured and feels good and makes the quarters or falls to Anisimova in the 3rd round. Anisimova. How do you go on and get used to playing again after your father is gone unexpectedly at 17 (now 18). He was her main coach I think right? She's done well in Australia so far this year. I've seen her just blast her way through people. Serena swatted her away in Auckland. But was that because Anisimova was star struck and is 18? Alexandrova won a title. I don't think that means she upsets Kvitova. But we know Kvitova can beat herself. So she certainly could. Yastremska's got a battle with Barty coming up in an hour or so. Is she battle ready for the AO? Or will she not be able to recover? Wozniacki may have something to say about her because this is her last go round and she may wanna fight to make it last as long as possible. Rybakina won the Hobart final. She could use it and let it fuel her to an upset of Barty in the 4th? round. Or she could fail to recover. Barty will need to recover from winning or losing the upcoming final.

Maybe... I think I'm probably just ready for grand slam tennis to be back. September was a long time ago.
Maybe I'm just bored and want to be excited by something. Serena winning number 24 will be satisfying. Serena winning matches she normally wins to get to the final and get number 24.... isn't all that exciting anymore. It's the norm. I don't want her to retire. Good lord no. But a possible encounter with Osaka in the quarters isn't even if my top 5 of things I'm looking for this time around.

 

[AnonymousFan]

 

[MargaretMcAleer]

Day Session....Rod Laver Arena,

I am interested in watching Defending champion Osaka who plays first on Rod Laver against M.Bouzkova
Followed by Serena Williams vs A.Potapova.

Margaret Court Arena,

Last year's runner up finalist Petra Kvitova against K.Siniakova,Petra who suffers from asthma,hopefully smoke haze wont be a factor in this match.

Venus Williams vs Coco Gauff,a rematch of Wimbledon 2019,Coco won.Venus has not had a good preparation for the AO,injuring her hip in practice,which led to her having to withdraw from Brisbane and Adelaide tournaments.My heart says Venus,my head says Coco.

Night Session Rod Laver Arena

Ash Barty vs L.Tsurenko....Ash winning Adelaide good preparation for the AO,she does have a tricky draw.

 

[AnonymousFan]

Stosur/Perez seeded 12th, Zhang/Peng unseeded