VETERAN Zimbabwean female tennis star Cara Black and her Australian partner Anastasia Rodionova were handed a good draw for the opening round of the Australian Open which served off in Melbourne yesterday. REPORT BY DANIEL NHAKANISO SPORTS REPORTER
The pair avoided the big guns in the women’s doubles draw after being paired against the Australian pair of Monique Adamczak and Stephanie Bengson, both ranked outside the top 100 in women’s doubles tennis.
The former world number one female doubles player Black and Rodionova, are still fresh from a triumph at the ASB Classic in New Zealand early this month.
The duo has since shifted their attention to the Australian Open in what will be Black’s first Grand Slam appearance since becoming a mother last April.
Black will be one of the contenders in Australia where she has won the women’s doubles — once in 2007 with former partner Liezel Huber and the mixed doubles in 2010 with Leander Paes.
Should the unseeded pair of Black and Rodionova get past the Australian duo in the first round, they should brace themselves for a tough second round match against 11th seeds Vania King from US and Kazakhstan’s Yaroslava Shvedova.
King and Shvedova, who have a doubles ranking of 20 and 21st respectively, are overwhelming favourites to easily win their first round match against the unseeded pair of Japan’s Shuko Aoyama and Irina Falconi from the US.
Some of the other big names in the women’s doubles draw include the 12th seeded Williams’ sisters Serena and Venus, who are also a formidable pairing in women’s doubles.
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The other threat will come from the successful Italian pair of Roberta Vinci and Sara Errani, currently ranked first and second respectively in women’s doubles in the world.
