Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

The tournament in Melbourne begins on Monday - but who will be the last woman standing?

Friday 10 January 2014 19:30 GMT

Late show: Serena Williams’ match was moved to Centre Court well after 8pm (AP)

The Australian Open gets underway next week.

Serena Williams will be aiming for her sixth title Down Under, and her 18th Grand Slam triumph.

But second seed Victoria Azarenka, who will bid for a hat-trick of titles at Melbourne Park, and third seed Maria Sharapova will be in the mix.

FOR THE 10 MEN'S CONTENDERS CLICK HERE

Angelique Kerber, Jelena Jankovic, Sara Errani, Agnieszka Radwanska, and Ana Ivanovic are also all notable contenders.

Here, we take a look at 10 contenders to secure the win in the first grand slam of the year.

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Show all 10

1/10Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Serena Williams

Sitting miles ahead of her rivals at the top of the WTA rankings, Williams is the undisputed queen of women's tennis. The current US and French Open champion holds the record for the most Australian Open Women's singles title in the open era, with 5. Williams has started her season well, defeating Victoria Azarenka to defend the Brisbane International title which extends her winning streak to 22 matches.
Best result: Winner (2003, 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2010)

GETTY IMAGES

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Maria Sharapova

As one of only ten women to have won every grand slam, it would be foolish to rule the Russian out of this year's Australian Open. However, her return to action at the Brisbane International was her first tournament appearance since last August due to a recurring shoulder injury. She had a successful competition though, reaching the semi-finals only to lose to world number one Serena Williams.
Best result: Winner (2008)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Agnieszka Radwanska

Radwanska offers a different threat to most women on tour. Although most players tend to favour using power to dictate points, Radwanska prefers to construct points slowly and make full use of the court. She is a very consistent player but will be eager to get past the quarter-finals in Melbourne, the stage she has been defeated at in the past three years.
Best result: Quarter-finalist (2008, 2011, 2012 and 2013)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Li Na

At the 2011 Australian Open Li Na established herself, becoming the first player representing an Asian country to appear in a grand slam singles final. Since then she has gone from strength to strength, her career highlight being her French Open title that same year. Na will enter the first grand slam of the year on the back of her defence of the 2014 Shenzhen Open this month.

Best result: Finalist (2011 and 2013)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Petra Kvitova

The powerful Czech will be a match for anyone at the Australian Open. Her electric left-handed ground strokes and variation have already proven to be enough to beat the best. Her win at the 2011 Wimbledon Championships made her the first grand slam winner of either gender to be born in the 1990s.

Best result: Semi-finalist (2012)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Angelique Kerber

The German No 1 will be eager to put a mediocre 2013 behind her and return to the sort of form she displayed the year before. She reached her first grand slam semi-final in 2011 at the US Open and followed that up with another semi-final appearance at Wimbledon in 2012.

Best result: Fourth round (2013)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Jelena Jankovic

The former world No 1 possesses one of the most varied games on the women's tour. Her doubles experience has served her well as she often utilises her extremely delicate drop-shot to deceive her powerful opponents. Jankovic experienced a mixed pre-season, reaching the semi-finals of the Brisbane International before being upset in the first round of the Sydney International.

Best result: Semi-finalist (2008)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Ana Ivanovic

The Serbian is only 26 and yet it seems a lifetime ago since she was considered the best female tennis player in the world. Since her rise to the top of the WTA rankings and the French Open title in 2008, she failed to reach the quarter-finals of any grand slam in 18 of her next 19 attempts, subsequently dropping to 65 in the world in 2010. Her recovery back up to 16 in the world has recently culminated in her first WTA title since 2011, which she won in Auckland this month.

Best result: Finalist (2008)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Sara Errani

The Italian No 1 will be hoping to turn her 2013 Australian Open doubles championship into a singles title this year. As world number one in doubles she has transferred a lot of her skills onto the singles court, including her abilities to generate a lot of spin on the ball and hit deep ground strokes. She had a disappointing pre-season however, as she was eliminated in the second round of the Shenzhen Open by a non-seed.

Best result: Quarter-finalist (2012)

Australian Open 2014: 10 contenders to win in Melbourne, including Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka

Victoria Azarenka

Azarenka will be a close favourite for the title with Williams due to being the competitions two-time defending champion. However, her 2013 ended on a sour note, losing in the first round of the China Open and winning only one of her three round robin matches in the WTA Tour Championships. She has since recovered, reaching the final of the Brisbane International.

Best result: Winner (2012 and 2013)

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies