Analyzing a grand slam draw before the tournament begins is a fraught exercise. Very rarely does a draw play to form as upsets and injuries can disrupt the seemingly logical progression of the 128-player field. And how a player is performing heading into the event is often a better indicator of their chances than their ranking or seeding would indicate. Further, no major is as difficult to forecast as the Australian Open, which is already under way in Melbourne; being that it’s the first big tournament after the sport’s “off-season” (if one can call six weeks a legitimate off-season), it’s very tough to gauge the level of the top players.
Having said that, things do look promising for the top American man and woman at the Australian Open, as Taylor Fritz and Coco Gauff are playing stellar tennis. The duo teamed up to lead the United States to victory in the United Cup team event this past week in Brisbane and are looking in top form. This also marks the first time in nearly 20 years (2006) that both an American man (Fritz, No 4) and woman (Gauff, No 3) are seeded in the top four of a major.
