The 2013 Australian Open is less than three weeks away. In the days leading up to the season’s first Grand Slam, the Grandstand will be counting down the Top 25 contenders in five different parts.
25. Philipp Kohlschreiber – The German did nothing after a fourth-round showing at this summer’s U.S. Open, but he will be well-rested in January and often begins his seasons in stellar form. Kohlschreiber has been to the fourth round of the Australian Open three times, including in 2012 when he survived Juan Monaco in five in the first round before eventually succumbing to Juan Martin Del Potro.
In 2008, Kohlschreiber was involved in one of the most memorable 36-hour spans in Australian Open history (it also included Roger Federer’s 10-8 in the fifth win over Janko Tipsarevic and the Lleyton Hewitt vs. Marcos Baghdatis match that ended at 4:34 in the morning). In arguably the best performance of his career, Kohlschreiber struck 32 aces and a ridiculous 104 winners before outlasting Andy Roddick 10-8 in the fifth sets. Kohlschreiber’s highlights from the epic win: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6YiMHI4NBg]
24. Radek Stepanek – A potential problem for Stepanek is that he could miss out on a seed Down Under, although he is in position for one right now. His chances of a seed are good especially because of Mardy Fish’s withdrawal, but a whole host of contenders just behind Stepanek in the rankings will be in action during the first week of the season. If the 34-year-old gets overtaken, he will be at the mercy of the draw. If not, he could make a run. Stepanek has incredible momentum from clinching the Davis Cup title for the Czech Republic and he’ll probably hang onto it through Brisbane, a tournament in which he has reach four straight quarterfinals—including one title and one runner-up finish.
23. Martin Klizan – Eleven months ago, Klizan was losing in the first round of Doha qualifying and playing a Challenger event in Heilbronn, Germany during the year’s first Grand Slam. Now, he will be seeded for the Australian Open. A favorable draw would give Klizan every chance of continuing his rise up the rankings.
The 23-year-old Slovak’s breakout came at the 2012 U.S. Open, where he stunned Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the fourth round. Klizan wasted no time building on the momentum, as he won his next tournament (the first ATP title of his career) in St. Petersburg.
22. Marcos Baghdatis – Baghdatis probably won’t be seeded in Melbourne, but he may not have to be. The Cypriot, a 2012 Australian Open legend with his racket-breaking tirade, is 20-8 lifetime at the event and was the runner-up in 2006. Never once has he lost in the first round. Baghdatis rounded into form late in 2012, reaching the semifinals in Tokyo and Stockholm in addition to a third-round showing at the Shanghai Masters. With a halfway decent draw Down Under he could make a legitimate run.
Baghdatis got a decent but far from outstanding draw in 2012. After taking care of Benjamin Becker, he ran into Stanislas Wawrinka. The scene below tells a thousand words (not surprisingly, Baghdatis went away 6-1 in the fourth set). **click if not automatically animated**
21. Sam Querrey – Querrey has never played well in Melbourne; his first two appearances in 2007 and 2008 (which resulted in third-round exits) were his best. He has won only a single match in his last four trips. Armed with a clean bill of health, however, the 6’6’’ American heated up this fall with quarterfinals in Beijing and Paris and third-round showing in Shanghai. Querrey should snag a Top 24 seed, which means a friendly draw is likely.
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