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Breaking down the Aussie Open draw
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim peers into his crystal ball to reveal the fate of all 32 seeds for the Australian Open. Scroll down to see the first-round matches you shouldn't miss, some darkhorse candidates to advance to Week 2, and his championship predictions. MEN'S REPORT | Women's Report 1. Gustavo Kuerten: He has the right still to be on a high from his play at the Masters Cup. But his past performances in Melbourne have been so unremarkable, it's hard to conceive of him winning seven straight matches. On a fast court, Greg Rusedski could give him trouble in the second round. 2. Marat Safin: A fast, service-friendly surface plays to his strengths, but a minor injury to his right elbow may hinder his effectiveness. If he's off, Andrei Pavel could give him fits in Round 2. 3. Pete Sampras: Usually plays well in Australia, but is he ready to win seven matches in the heat? No free lunch against Karol Kucera and Vladimir Voltchkov/Bohdan Ulihrach winner in first two rounds.
5. Yevgeny Kafelnikov: He has reached the final two straight years, winning in 1999. And say what you will about his uneven results; he tends to step it up at big events. 6. Andre Agassi: He is supposedly back up to speed, but at age 30 it's hard to see him defending his title. 7. Lleyton Hewitt: The locals would love if he won his first Slam here, but he is bothered by a sinus condition that will require medical attention after the tournament. To boot, a nasty draw has him playing Jonas Bjorkman and probably Tommy Haas in his first two matches. 8. Tim Henman: Their Tim has never played particularly well in the erstwhile penal colony. He'll be luckier than Ned Kelly on furlough to get by Hicham Arazi and probably Nicolas Lapentti in first two rounds. 9. Juan Carlos Ferrero: Second-round match against Andrew Ilie could be a good one. We keep hearing about his hard-court aptitude; he'll get to test it against Agassi in Round of 16. 10. Wayne Ferreira: A player no one wants to face. 11. Franco Squillari: Even with a cake draw, he'll be lucky to win three rounds. 12. Pat Rafter: Favorable draw has him playing two opponents outside top 100 before potential dustup with Max Mirnyi. He usually underachieves in Australia, but with retirement on the brain, he has added motivation. 13. Cedric Pioline: With fewer and fewer clicks left on the odometer, the erratic Frenchman could lose any time. 14. Dominik Hrbaty: If Safin struggles, Dominator could be through to quarters. 15. Arnaud Clement: No reason he can't replicate his U.S. Open success on Rebound Ace. 16. Sebastien Grosjean: Easy draw has him playing Magnus Norman in the Round of 16. DANGEROUS FLOATERSRoger Federer: The Fed has raised interest with his ascending game. Marcelo Rios: The bandwagon is filling, but good seats are still available. (Though, truth to tell, he could easily lose to Carlos Moya in Round 1.) Tommy Haas: Former semifinalist, now working with Gavin Hopper, is healthy again. Max Mirnyi: If only because he wins matches on his serve alone. Greg Rusedski: The faster the court plays, the better he does. FIRST-ROUND MATCHES TO WATCHMichael Chang vs. Fabrice Santoro: The 5-foot-10-and-under league. Carlos Moya vs. Rios: Two former No. 1s. Hewitt vs. Jonas Bjorkman: The Tom Ross businessman's special. Henman vs. Hicham Arazi PREDICTIONS Semifinals: Kafelnikov vs. Norman; Sampras vs. Rafter
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Wertheim covers tennis for the magazine and will be filing daily reports from the Australian Open for CNNSI.com. Click here to send a question to his mailbag.
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