Power Rankings (Jan. 22): Surprisingly predictable
With a handful of exceptions, the Australian Open so far is not living up to its reputation as the most unpredictable of the Grand Slams.
In the men's field, 24 of the 32 seeds have reached Round 3, including each of the top eight.
Our men's power rankings were shuffled but no one dropped out – although a series of players including Gael Monfils, James Blake, Fernando Verdasco, David Ferrer and a couple of others are knocking on the door.
The women's list was turned on its head by Venus Williams' shocking exit after losing to Spanish youngster Carla Suarez Navarro. Williams looked poised to hit the top spot after younger sister Serena Williams endured a shaky second round. Instead, she is out of the tournament and out of the power rankings after squandering a big third-set lead.
Check back here after Round 3 for the next edition of the Yahoo! Sports Australian Open power rankings.
Men
1. (1) Andy Murray: beat Marcel Granollers 6-4, 6-2, 6-2; faces Jurgen Melzer in Round 3. Hard-court star keeps marching on.
2. (2) Rafael Nadal: beat Roko Karanusic 6-2, 6-3, 6-2; faces Tommy Haas in Round 3. Looks hungry and confident.
3. (3) Roger Federer: beat Evgeny Korolev 6-2, 6-3, 6-1; faces Marat Safin in Round 3. Getting back toward his brilliant best.
4. (4) Novak Djokovic: beat Jeremy Chardy 7-5, 6-1, 6-3; faces Amer Delic in Round 3. Putting up a strong defense of his title.
5. (7) Juan Martin Del Potro: beat Florian Mayer 6-1, 7-5, 6-2; faces Gilles Muller in Round 3. Enjoying conditions Down Under.
6. (6) Andy Roddick: beat Xavier Malisse 4-6, 7-6, 6-1, 6-2; faces Fabrice Santoro in Round 3. Serve working well and primed for a deep run.
7. (5) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga: beat Ivan Ljubicic 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 6-2; faces Dudi Sela in Round 3. Fighting hard but struggling with back pain.
8. (8) Gilles Simon: beat Chris Guccione 6-7, 6-4, 6-1, 6-2; faces Mario Ancic in Round 3. Underrated Frenchman cannot be discounted.
Women
1. (1) Serena Williams: beat Gisela Dulko 6-3, 7-5; faces Shuai Peng in Round 3. Mixed form but still the favorite.
2. (3) Jelena Jankovic: beat Kirsten Flipkens 6-4, 7-5; faces Ai Sugiyama in Round 3. Desperate to add first Slam to No. 1 ranking.
3. (7) Elena Dementieva: beat Iveta Benesova 6-4, 6-1; faces Samantha Stosur in Round 3. Draw got easier with Venus' exit.
4. (4) Dinara Safina: beat Ekatarina Makarova 6-7, 6-3, 6-0; faces Kaia Kanepi in Round 3. Doesn't enjoy the conditions but still a force.
5. (5) Caroline Wozniacki: beat Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-3, 6-3; faces Jelena Dokic in Round 3. Rising star could be ready to break through.
6. (8) Vera Zvonareva: beat Edina Gallovits 6-0, 6-0; faces Sara Errani in Round 3. On a quarterfinal collision course with Jankovic.
7. (6) Ana Ivanovic: beat Alberta Brianti 6-3, 6-2; faces Alisa Kleybanova in Round 3. Steadily improving and hoping to match last year's final run.
8. (-) Carla Suarez Navarro: beat Venus Williams 2-6, 6-3, 7-5; faces Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in Round 3. Takes deserved place in rankings with upset victory over Venus.
