Australian Open 2018: Profiling the dark horses

The new Tennis season has begun with a bang. Steadily sprinting towards the first Grand Slam of the year, the Australian Open, many lead-up events are keeping the tennis fans and pundits engrossed and making the countdown more bearable.

Enthralling fans and satiating the famish for tennis that the holiday season had induced, we are all set to take flight onto the land of some mouth-watering action at the season-opening Slam in Melbourne.

While most of the times, we glorify the major contenders for Grand Slam glory, there are those dark horses that remain largely underrated.

Nick Krygios and Elina Svitolina winning the titles in Brisbane, Simona Halep conquering Shenzhen, Julia Goerges stamping her authority in Auckland, Gael Monfils lifting the trophy in Doha and the great Roger Federer alongside Belinda Bencic giving Switzerland the much elusive glory at the light-hearted Hopman Cup in Perth, the beginning of the season has indeed been dramatically entertaining.

While fans are left pondering these results, deciphering what lays in store, it is more than natural delving into the territory of the dark horses both on the Men's and Women's tour for the upcoming Major.

Will we have surprise champions clinching Grand Slam Glory then?

Let us dive a little deeper into the profile of a few names that are the dark horses for the Australian Open title. We all will most certainly have different views, nonetheless these are few observations from a tennis fan like me.

1) Nick Krygios | Rank #17 (Best Aus Open Finish QFs 2015)

Nick Krygios with his Brisbane trophy, his first on home soil.

With a scintillating win in Brisbane, Nick Krygios has opened his season in the most promising fashion ever. Lifting his first ever on home soil and a fourth ATP title, Krygios seems to be making a statement that he is here to make it large.

With a string of poor performances at the Majors in recent times, the 22-year-old Australian now seems determined to shake that jinx away. Krygios has managed to reach past the third round only twice since reaching his second Major quarter-final at the Australian Open in 2015.

A lack of determination and also a tryst with injuries to be blamed, Krygios has thus never really been able to convert his tremendous talent into concrete results.

In a recent revelation, the mercurial Krygios was quoted asserting that he had found his purpose in life. With his plans of Nick Krygios Foundation that shall be dedicated to underprivileged and sick children, Nick said that he finally has found the boost to play tennis.

During his final with Ryan Harrison at Brisbane, Krygios was on a verge of losing his temper when the American opponent took time off court, something that we all are very used to about the man but he did keep his composure and went on to display some stellar tennis to lift the title in front of his home crowd.

It will be time when we shall know if this renewed Australian can go deep into Melbourne and clinch that elusive zenith of a Major Glory.

2) David Goffin | Rank #7 (Best Aus Open finish QFs 2017)

David Goffin at the 2018 Hopman Cup

The Belgian succumbed to Pablo Carreno Busta at the Kooyong Classic exhibition in Melbourne today, but it is certainly not a measure of his performance at the coming Major. David Goffin looks well unfazed and all prepared to sizzle at the Australian Open 2018.

To begin the season of 2018, Goffin won all three of his Hopman Cup singles matches against Zverev, Kokkinakis and Vasek Pospisil - but despite his heroics, Belgium failed to make the final.

An appearance in the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park last year was followed by a huge run at the ATP Finals by Goffin who defeated Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer on his way to the Finals in London.

He continued his winning ways onto the Davis Cup final, where despite Belgium’s 3-2 loss to France, he beat Lucas Pouille and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to improve his record in the competition to an incredible 21-3.

Having defeated Novak Djokovic last year, Goffin has improved tremendously on his serve and well-rounded baseline game while packaging himself replete with the weapons needed to compete with the best in the world.

If he can keep replicating that similar form in which he ended the last season, we surely can have a surprise winner in the form of the Belgian going head on for the biggest prize in sport at the Australian Open.

3) Julia Goerges | Rank #14 (Best Aus Open finish R16 in 2012 2013 2015)

Julia Goerges in Auckland

Last year has been a testimony to how surprise winners on the WTA picked up titles at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S.Open. Jelena Ostapenko, Garbine Muguruza and Sloane Stephens proved how it isn't impossible to cash on the biggest prize if you have the hard work doing the talking.

Julia Goerges will enter next week's Australian Open in hot form after claiming a third-straight WTA title and a 14th straight match win with victory over Caroline Wozniacki in the Auckland Classic final.

Consistency has always been the one worrisome aspect of the 29-year-old Goerges’ powerful and dangerous game, but Goerges has been near to flawless in the past few days.

She was riding a nine-match winning streak heading into the 2018 season after claiming titles in Moscow and Zhuhai, while more finals in Mallorca, Bucharest and Washington D.C. paved way for the German finishing 2017 at a career-high No 14 in the world.

With her tall frame at 5’11” and the ability to generate some powerful shots, it can be very well said that Goerges can be the one to watch out for in Melbourne.

4) Caroline Garcia | Rank #8 (best Aus Open finish R3 2015 2017)

Caroline Garcia will most certainly look to give it her all at the Australian open 2018

My personal favourite, the very fearless hitting Frenchwoman Caroline Garcia has the weapons needed to drill and dig deep into the Australian Open.

Forced to retire in Brisbane at the start of this season due to back pain in the first round, the tearful Garcia is hoping that she will be completely fine to compete in Melbourne. Keeping the injury woes aside, the 24-year-old will look to continue her magical run that she showcased towards the end of 2017.

Winning back to back titles in Wuhan and Beijing, Garcia has been a portrait of sheer determination and guts. Qualifying for the WTA Finals in Singapore with this stellar run, she went to make it to the group and reach the semi-finals.

Enroute she kept trouncing big names, Elina Svitolina, Caroline Wozniacki, Petra Kvitova, Simona Halep, Dominika Cibulkova and Angelique Kerber in the season-ending event.

She has been living in the shadows for almost six years but 2017 has been pivotal in elevating her steadily upwards on the WTA spectrum.

Armed with this confidence, it should not be very difficult for Garcia to go the distance. And then we all know with Serena Williams not defending her title, the field is wide open.We can count on this Frenchwoman to be a major dark horse at the Australian Open.

Not sure if the predictions will work. But as we all countdown to the season Opening Major that will get underway from the 15th January in Melbourne, all I say is get ready for the mayhem and a fortnight of tennis extravaganza.