Bobusic leads Aussie charge
February 18th 2013 10:28
WOMEN return to the Australian Pro Circuit after a week off to compete in what looms as an open field at the Mildura International.
South African world No. 172 Chanel Simmonds is the No. 1 seed, with Burnie champion Olivia Rogowska away chasing a main draw spot in Dubai.
Simmonds is yet to hit her straps in two Australian starts at Burnie and Launceston and begins her redemption against ACT qualifier Alison Bai, who was once ranked 397 in the world.
Bojana Bobusic, who won the Australian Open wildcard playoff in December and pushed Pole Agnieszka Radwanska to a first set tie-breaker at the grand slam event, is the only seeded Australian at four.
Bobusic beat Simmonds in the opening round at Burnie and a deep run in Mildura would help get her closer to her career-high ranking of 222 from last year.
There will also be plenty of interest in how Storm Sanders performs after eliminating Rogowska on her way to a shock Launceston triumph as a qualifier two weeks ago.
Sanders needed a wildcard to compete in Mildura, but is rising with a bullet.
The 18-year-old West Australian climbed 216 places in today’s rankings to 410, which should ensure her qualifying days are behind her – at least in Australia.
Sanders meets Victorian qualifier Belinda Woolcock, also 18, in her opening match before a potential second round showdown with Russian No. 3 seed Ksenia Lykina.
Woolcock was part of Australia’s winning junior Fed Cup team two years ago.
Other Australians to keep an eye on are Tammi Patterson, Viktorija Rajicic and Azra Hadzic, who are all ranked just inside the top 400, and Karolina Wlodarczak.
They have a tough task on their hands to deny a Japanese winner, though, with Yurika Sema (two), Misa Eguchi (five), Risa Ozaki (six), Miyabi Inoue (seven) and Mari Tanaka (eight) seeded in the draw.
See Mildura International women's singles draw here
I am the Shepparton News' sports editor and hope to start a tennis website this year. Follow me on Twitter at @Marc_tennis and/or @marcmcgowan84.
South African world No. 172 Chanel Simmonds is the No. 1 seed, with Burnie champion Olivia Rogowska away chasing a main draw spot in Dubai.
Simmonds is yet to hit her straps in two Australian starts at Burnie and Launceston and begins her redemption against ACT qualifier Alison Bai, who was once ranked 397 in the world.
Bojana Bobusic, who won the Australian Open wildcard playoff in December and pushed Pole Agnieszka Radwanska to a first set tie-breaker at the grand slam event, is the only seeded Australian at four.
Bobusic beat Simmonds in the opening round at Burnie and a deep run in Mildura would help get her closer to her career-high ranking of 222 from last year.
Bojana Bobusic is the sole Australian seed in the Mildura International women's singles draw.
There will also be plenty of interest in how Storm Sanders performs after eliminating Rogowska on her way to a shock Launceston triumph as a qualifier two weeks ago.
Sanders needed a wildcard to compete in Mildura, but is rising with a bullet.
The 18-year-old West Australian climbed 216 places in today’s rankings to 410, which should ensure her qualifying days are behind her – at least in Australia.
Sanders meets Victorian qualifier Belinda Woolcock, also 18, in her opening match before a potential second round showdown with Russian No. 3 seed Ksenia Lykina.
Woolcock was part of Australia’s winning junior Fed Cup team two years ago.
Other Australians to keep an eye on are Tammi Patterson, Viktorija Rajicic and Azra Hadzic, who are all ranked just inside the top 400, and Karolina Wlodarczak.
They have a tough task on their hands to deny a Japanese winner, though, with Yurika Sema (two), Misa Eguchi (five), Risa Ozaki (six), Miyabi Inoue (seven) and Mari Tanaka (eight) seeded in the draw.
See Mildura International women's singles draw here
I am the Shepparton News' sports editor and hope to start a tennis website this year. Follow me on Twitter at @Marc_tennis and/or @marcmcgowan84.
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