Australian Open 2014: Experts' picks for the women's draw

Can anyone stop Serena Williams? The tennis experts of Sportskeeda look ahead at the 2014 Australian Open by making picks for the women’s draw in four categories: dark horse, early exit, dangerous floater, and champion.

1. Dark horse

Simona Halep

Abhishek Desikan: Ana Ivanovic has a new team and a title under her belt after a gap of more than two years. Expect Ana to stir trouble for her opponents.

Adnan Akhtar: Simona Halep has slowly climbed up the rankings over the last year and would be my pick for the dark horse at this year’s Aussie Open. With six titles in 2013, Halep has shown that she has it in her to win. The Rod Laver Arena could be that big stage where she could finally make a mark for herself on the elite stage.

Avantika Tikmany: Local favourite Samantha Stosur awaits her maiden Australian Open title. The home advantage could, for once, work in her favour if she brings her A-game.

BallnRacquet: Working her way slowly up the rankings ladder to where she once belonged is Jelena Jankovic. She showed her hunger with very consistent results last season and fittingly ended the season as a semifinalist at the WTA Championships last October. She has been given a considerably good draw up until the quarters where she is slated to meet the resurgent Russian Maria Sharapova.

Musab Abid: Is it time we gave up on Petra Kvitova? She is seeded sixth, but her chronic inconsistencies have meant that she is nowhere even close to the conversation when it comes to talk about title favourites. Her draw up to the quarters seems fairly harmless though, and she has shown in the past that she can go deep here. Besides, her lethal-when-it’s-on game can never be discounted.

Roh: Last year’s semi-finalist Sloane Stephens is primed to go deep into the draw again, and is my dark horse pick.

Varun Jog: Simona Halep won six titles in 2013, second only to Serena Williams, and had her best ever performance at the US Open last year where she reached the fourth round. A fourth-round berth is almost a guarantee with the cushy draw that the Romanian finds herself presented with, and once she gets there we’ll have a potential clash between her and former World No. 1 Jelena Jankovic. Who knows what could happen?