2014 was the first year that I bought TennisTV and was able to appreciate the tennis in Auckland.  Attracting excellent crowds all week and a diverse line-up of players, this is one of my favourite International events on the WTA calendar.  Last year’s final between Venus Williams and Ana Ivanovic was very entertaining and ranked in my top 20 matches of the year.  Venus is back for another assault on the title and is joined by Caroline Wozniacki as the top seed, who is playing the tournament for the first time since 2009.  Let’s take a look at the draw…

Much of the attention in Auckland will be lauded on the number one seed, Caroline Wozniacki, who ended the 2014 season in such impressive form.  During the last five months of 2014, Wozniacki compiled a 34-10 W-L record, losing her last match of the year to Serena Williams in the semi-finals of the WTA Championships in Singapore.  It was an excellent match, one of the best of the year, and demonstrated so many positives for Wozniacki, particularly the way that she tried to take the initiative on the crucial points.  The question remains as to whether Wozniacki can build on her successes and mount a significant title bid for the first Grand Slam of the year in Melbourne.

More than most players, Wozniacki needs a strong start to the year as she thrives off lots of competitive matches and playing her way into form.  Her first match of the week in Auckland will be against a qualifier (to be determined on Monday).  If Wozniacki comes through her first match, she will play the winner of a first rounder between Yanina Wickmayer and Taylor Townsend.  I didn’t realise Taylor had been granted a wildcard into the draw; this is a great opportunity for her as she has yet to make many forays on the WTA tour.  Wickmayer struggled during the second half of the season and discovered during the off-season that she had been playing with lyme disease.  I’d fancy Taylor to produce a minor upset in this match.  Overall, this is a tricky section for Wozniacki with Svetlana Kuznetsova and Julia Goerges both potential quarter-final opponents and players that Wozniacki has struggled against in previous years.

The second quarter, which features the likes of Barbora Zahlavova Strycova and Coco Vandeweghe, is pretty low-key.  It is safe to say that any eight of the players residing in this section could snap up a quarter-final berth.  The third quarter features last year’s finalist and the number three seed, Venus Williams.  There were plenty of ups and down, but Venus had plenty to smile about in 2014 as she enjoyed her best year on tour since 2010.  Highlights included winning the Premier event in Dubai and reaching the final in Montreal where she defeated four seeds and won four three-set matches in an inspiring run.  Venus rediscovered her first serve after being severely hampered by a back injury in 2013.  Venus opens against Jana Cepelova in the first round.  The other seed in the third quarter is Mona Barthel.  It’s a surprise to see Mona still in the draw after she twisted her ankle and tore ligaments at the beginning of December.  Her recovery has been swift, but she also announced on Facebook that she was ill on her arrival in Auckland.  Therefore, i’d back her first round opponent. the equally talented, Ana Konjuh, to earn an upset win.

The final quarter is headlined by the number two seed, Sara Errani who has been paired up with Daniela Hantuchova in the first round.  This will be the tenth time that Hantuchova and Errani have played each other on the tour with Hantuchova leading 5-4 in the head-to-head.  Hantuchova has recently teamed up with Carlos Rodriguez (Li Na’s former coach), which was a real coup.  Her recent matches with Errani have tended to be depend on the court.  When the pair met on the fast courts of Brisbane in 2013, Hantuchova prevailed in three sets, but in their most recent matches on slower courts in Doha and Miami, Errani has come out on top.

The other seed in the fourth quarter is Sloane Stephens, who fell 25 places in the rankings during 2014.  Sloane is a much better player than her current ranking of 37 implies, but her application continues to let her down.  Now coached by Eugenie Bouchard’s former coach, Nick Saviano, 2015 may be more fruitful.  It’s hard to fully believe that she can be consistent during a whole season, but she’s set herself up better than last years.  Her draw starts with a first round match against Silvia Soler-Espinosa.

1st Round Predictions: Townsend d. Wickmayer in 2 tight sets, Zahlavova Strycova d. Scheepers in 2 sets, Vinci d. Vandeweghe in 3 sets, Konjuh d. Barthel in 2 sets, Mladenovic d. Vesnina in 3 sets, V.Williams d. Cepelova in 2 tight sets, Rogers d. Davis in 3 sets and Errani d. Hantuchova in 3 sets

Quarter-Final Predictions: Wozniacki v Kuznetsova, Zahlavova Strycova v Vinci, Konjuh v V.Williams and Rogers v Errani

Final Prediction: Wozniacki d. V.Williams

Photo in this post by Moo’s Tennis Blog