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Australian Open 2014: Early-Round Opponents That Could Cause Problems for Stars
Published: January 14, 2014
Before we can have our projected final of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, however, these stars and others have to sidestep a few landmines that could end their tournament early. We all remember Nadal going down in the first round to Steve Darcis last year at Wimbledon.
All the top competitors have a potentially tough challenge ahead of them before they even reach the quarterfinals. Here is a look at the biggest tests set for the preliminary rounds.
No. 1 Rafael Nadal vs. No. 25 Gael Monfils
Nadal's first-round match against Bernard Tomic was supposed to be one of the best of the opening rounds, but an injury forced an early exit:
As Nick Nemeroff of Tennis View Mag points out, things only get easier for the No. 1 seed:
However, the tournament will take a sharp turn immediately after that. If seeds hold up, Nadal will be forced to face Gael Monfils in the third round. This is someone no top seed hopes to see across the court.
Monfils battled his way to the finals at Doha to start the year, including a win over Richard Gasquet. Although he lost to Nadal in the championship, he won a set and sent a message that he will be tough to beat. Additionally, the French star defeated Nadal the last time they competed in 2012.
Although Monfils can be a bit inconsistent, his best is as good as almost anyone in the world. This is a scary thought for the top-seeded Nadal this early in the tournament.
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 17 Samantha Stosur
According to the seeds, Ana Ivanovic would be a tougher matchup in Round 4 for Serena Williams. However, Samantha Stosur is the...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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