Week in Preview: Sydney, Auckland, Hobart

The second week of the tennis season is the scheduling version of a tweener: On the one hand, it comes right after the opening fanfare of the first seven days; on the other, it comes right before the even bigger fanfare that, starting next Monday, will surround the Australian Open.

As we learned again last week, no top player is safe from withdrawal this close to a major. At the Premier event in Sydney, Agnieszka Radwanska and Petra Kvitova—the second and third seeds—have already pulled out. Before anyone else joins them, here’s a look ahead at the four Aussie tune-up events on tap.

Apia International Sydney (WTA)

*Sydney, Australia

$753,000; WTA Premier

Plexicushion

Draw is here*

Radwanska and Kvitova, the No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, are already out of the draw. Could No. 1 Simona Halep follow in their retreating footsteps soon? She withdrew from Brisbane last week with an Achilles' flare-up. As of now, she's still scheduled to play Caroline Garcia in her Sydney opener.

Also still alive, though staggering a bit, are Belinda Bencic and Angelique Kerber, each of whom survived a three-setter in the summer heat on Monday. After reaching the final in Brisbane last week, you have to wonder what Kerber will have left for Melbourne if she goes deep here. She plays Ekaterina Makarova next, and could play Bencic after that.

Already Out: Ana Ivanovic, who took a wild card only to be sent packing in straights by Karolina Pliskova in the first round.

Back in the Winner’s Column: Tsvetana Pironkova recorded her first victory since August, over Lesia Tsurenko. She plays Bencic next.

ASB Classic (ATP)

*Auckland, New Zealand

$463,520; 250 points

Plexicushion

Draw is here*

The cozy, sunny confines of the ASB Tennis Arena in Auckland are a popular place to start the year, and this 250 has drawn a quality crowd. Top 20 stalwarts David Ferrer, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, John Isner, and Kevin Anderson are all here. The place is a particular favorite of Ferrer, who has won the title four times.

Already Out: Steve Johnson, to towering Aussie qualifier Matthew Barton, in three sets. That makes Johnson, who is coming off a career year, 0-2 going into Melbourne.

Second-Round Match to Watch: Jack Sock vs. Vasek Pospisil

Apia International Sydney (ATP)

*Sydney, Australia

$404,780; 250 points

Plexicushion

Draw is here*

In my first-week review, I wrote about how Bernard Tomic, Grigor Dimitrov, and Dominic Thiem had all given off good vibes in Brisbane. Tomic and Thiem reached the semis, and Dimitrov pushed Federer deep into a third set in the quarters. How will they follow up those mini runs? We’ll see in Sydney, where Tomic and Thiem are the top two seeds, and Dimitrov is No. 4. Against my better judgment, I'm thinking this could be a career year for Tomic.

Hobart International (WTA)

*Hobart, Australia

$250,000; WTA International

Plexicushion

Draw is here*

Hobart didn’t have a lot of star power to begin with, and most of it left when top seed Sloane Stephens pulled out following her win in Auckland. Like Radwanska’s post-title withdrawal in Sydney, this was probably the right move for Stephens. But it was obviously the wrong one for Hobart, which is left with a draw whose highest-ranked player is Camila Giorgi.

Already Out: Johanna Konta. Like Johnson on the men's side, Konta has followed up a breakout 2015 with an 0-2 start in 2016.