Anybody’s game

If there is anything unpredictable in tennis, it’s a tournament without Serena Williams. The American has dominated the women’s tennis for a long time and is the owner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles.It’s the most number of Grand Slam wins in the Open Era, and is second on the all-time list behind Margaret Court’s 24. In Serena’s absence, it’s anyone’s title in women’s tennis. Rankings or being in form rarely matter.The Qatar Total Open, beginning today at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex, has attracted nine of the top 10 stars in women’s tennis.Only world number eight Venus Williams, who is playing Fed Cup, is missing in Doha from the top 10. Sister Serena, who took a year out to give birth to daughter Alexis Olympia, was expected to play doubles later yesterday in the Fed Cup tie against the Netherlands.In such a fascinating scenario, this coming Sunday it could be anyone from the strong 64-field draw who could lift the Golden Falcon trophy and take home $591,750 in prize money in Doha. Caroline Wozniacki is obviously a strong contender, having won her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open last month and reclaiming the World No. 1 ranking.But playing her first tournament in St Petersburg, since that breakthrough triumph, the Dane lost to Russia’s World No. 23 Daria Kasatkina in the quarter-finals.While a ten-day break after that loss might have rejuvenated Wozniacki, the 27-year-old has a fight on her hands if she has to claim her maiden Qatar Total Open title and cling on to her top ranking.Wozniacki lost in the final in the last year’s edition, going down to Karolina Pliskova. While Pliskova is in the other half of the draw this time, Wozniacki will have to contend with Angelique Kerber, Elina Svitolina and Jelena Ostapenko in her half.Then there is two-time champion Maria Sharapova, who could meet Wozniacki as early as in the round of last 16. Unseeded and No. 41, Sharapova has received wild card from the tournament. The five-time Grand Slam champion is yet to come back to her best after returning from a doping ban last year, but the Russian still remains a major threat.Sharapova opens her tournament today against qualifier Monica Niculescu and would face either Magdalena Rybarikova or Fatma al-Nabhani in the second round. Wozniacki, who has a bye into the second round, will open against either Tatjana Maria or Carina Witthoeft on Wednesday.“I never look at the draw,” said Wozniacki yesterday. “I know my first-round opponents, and I play either Tatjana or Carina. And both are good players. And I know one is here, one is playing Fed Cup. So I’ll play on Wednesday. But I’m excited for the challenge, and at the end of the day I think I’m just going to go out there, have fun and see what happens,” she added.Simona Halep, who will be hurting from that loss in the final at the Australian Open, will be gunning for her revenge in Doha. Seeded second, Halep will have an opportunity over the next two weeks to reclaim the top spot from Wozniacki. The two can only meet in the final, and it would be quite a title clash if both women manage to come out unscathed till that stage.Halep can retake the No.1 ranking in Doha but must make the quarter-finals to have a chance. If both Halep and Wozniacki advance to the quarter-finals then Halep will need to go one round further than the Dane to overtake her.There is a doubt whether Halep is fully fit to play in Doha. The Romanian pulled out of St. Petersburg tournament due to an ankle injury, but a fortnight’s rest since that gruelling final at Australian Open would have lifted her spirits.Halep too has a first-round bye and will play either Ekaterina Makarova or Zhang Shuai, with Anastasia Sevastova or Katerina Siniakova potentially looming in the Round of 16.Garbine Muguruza, Pliskova and Carolina Garcia are in the bottom half of the draw as Halep and all three are capable of playing a spoilsport.Last year’s Wimbledon champion Muguruza has not had best of starts to the year and has turned to fellow Spaniard and a former winner at All England Club, Conchita Martinez, to improve her form.“Conchita and I, we’ve known each other since I was little. And she’s always been a little bit in the shadow, you know, helping me here and there. And of course, everybody saw me and her in Wimbledon, and we had the best success possible. I always get along well with her. And I thought, you know, that it might be a good idea to have her in the next couple of tournaments till Miami,” Muguruza said yesterday.Reigning French Open champion Ostapenko will also be a major threat. The hard-hitting Latvian will not be easy to face on fast courts of Doha. The 20-year-old struggled with a leg injury in Australia but a fully-fit Ostapenko can blow any one off the court on her day.Outside the top eight seeds, British World No. 11 Johanna Konta, France’s Kristina Mladenovic, ranked 13th, and Belgium’s Elise Mertens, who made it to the semi-finals in Melbourne, can walk away with the title if they find their stride over the next seven days.Today’s Order of PlayCentre Court (from 12:00 noon)Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) vs Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS)Followed byCatherine Bellis (USA) vs Daria Kasatkina (RUS)Elena Vesnina (RUS) vs Anna Blinkova (RUS)Monica Niculescu (ROU) vs Maria Sharapova (RUS)Mona Barthel (GER) vs Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)Naomi Osaka (JPN) vs Katerina Siniakova (CZE)Court 1Ons Jabeur (TUN) vs Ying-Ying Duan (CHN)Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) vs Shuai Zhang (CHN)Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) vs Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROU)