TENNIS: Three unseeded players who could make waves at the Australian Open

By Steven Oldham

The Australian Open begins on Monday as the race to succeed Stanislas Wawrinka and Li Na as champions in Melbourne begins.

Wawrinka is back to defend his title - his first Grand Slam victory - but the popular Na has retired due to persistent knee injuries and there are many contenders gunning for her crown, including former champions Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams.

In every Grand Slam however, there are unseeded players who light up the tournament by shocking the big names - who can forget Marcos Baghdatis' memorable run to the 2006 Australian Open final, beating Andy Roddick, Ivan Ljubicic and David Nalbandian on the way?

Similarly, few had heard of Lukas Rosol before he dumped Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon in 2012 - he continued the momentum this victory gave him and has made solid progress up the rankings ever since.

Sports fans are well known for getting behind returning heroes and upcoming talent, and this year should be no different. Here are three players who are coming into Melbourne under the radar.

Victoria Azarenka (Belarus)

World ranking: 41

First round opponent: Sloane Stephens (USA)

Victoria Azarenka is making her comeback in Melbourne (Getty)

Azarenka is no stranger to glory at the Australian Open; she won here twice in both 2012 and 2013. After her 2014 season was ended by a foot injury that hampered her all year in September, she fell down the rankings to 42 and as such is unseeded for the first Grand Slam of the year. The draw could have been kinder to her - should she beat Stephens, her likely second round opponent is Caroline Wozniacki. The stats are in the Belarussian's favour - she has won both previous meetings against Stephens and the American's form drastically declined in the second half of 2014. A narrow defeat to Karolina Pliskova in the Brisbane International earlier this month suggests she is not quite fully at the races yet, but few would disregard a player of her ability.

Borna Coric (Croatia)

World ranking: 91

First round opponent: Jérémy Chardy (France)

The Croatian teenager is a star of the future (Conde Nast)



The Croatian 18-year-old is making his Australian Open debut this year and is a hot tip for the future. Already in the top 100, he made headlines last October by beating Rafael Nadal in the Swiss Indoors in Basel. He qualified for the US Open last year and eliminated the seeded Lukas Rosol in the first round. His impressive list of scalps also includes Ernests Gulbis and Jerzy Janowicz. Named as the ATP Star of Tomorrow, big names including John McEnroe and Mario Ancic have lined up to tip him for big things. He has not played against his first round opponent, the 29th seed Jeremy Chardy, to date, but the Frenchman could come unstuck if Coric turns on the style to add to his growing list of achievements. One to watch. If he progresses to the third round he is likely to meet Roger Federer.

Vasek Pospisil (Canada)

World ranking: 60

First round opponent: Sam Querrey (USA)



2014 Wimbledon doubles champion Vasek Pospisil (The Star)



Vasek Pospisil had his best year to date in 2014. For the first time he competed in all four Grand Slams, albeit going out in the first round on three occasions. He made the third round in Melbourne though before withdrawing through injury ahead of a match against eventual champion Wawrinka. In a twist of fate these two players will meet in round three this year should they progress that far.  He picked up his first Grand Slam title in 2014 by winning the Wimbledon men's doubles with Jack Sock, beating the legendary Bryan brothers in the final.  His achievements in doubles can sometimes overshadow what a capable tennis player he is. The draw sees him up against an out-of-form Sam Querrey, which could be a good match to build momentum and push on through the tournament.

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Can AFCON 2015 make the headlines for the right reasons after Ebola fears, absent big guns and a change of host?

By Steven Oldham

There has been that much event and controversy surrounding the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations it could be easy to forget the tournament has yet to begin.

Ebola, a late change of host and high profile absentees have all kept the tournament in the headlines without a ball being kicked -  it starts with Equatorial Guinea taking on Congo tomorrow.

The Ebola epidemic that's decimated parts of West Africa has in turn led original hosts Morocco to forfeit the right to hold the tournament after requests to postpone it were refused.  CAF have looked very unfavourably on this and the North African team have been banned from the next two editions of the Cup of Nations.

After several countries ruled themselves out of replacing Morocco - including Egypt and Ghana - Equatorial Guinea, co-hosts of the 2012 tournament with Gabon, was announced as the unlikely replacement venue.

Credit has to go to the country for stepping in to fill the breach, but there remain concerns about how ready they are given the short notice given to prepare themselves for the continent's biggest sporting event - there are still questions surrounding stadia, infrastructure and logistical problems like hotel space and facilities for visiting teams, media and so on.

That CAF chose Equatorial Guinea suggest there were few other countries willing to go ahead with the tournament. The country were thrown out of qualifying in the first round despite beating Mauritania 3-1 on aggregate, having fielded Thierry Fidieu, a player deemed illegal by CAF.

Equatorial Guinea were just one of a number of teams whose on the pitch results were rendered null and void by the authorities. Rwanda were also thrown out of qualifying for fielding an illegal player, despite beating Congo on penalties in the second round. The Seychelles had to forfeit their fixture against Sierra Leone after the visiting team were banned from entering the islands over fears Ebola could spread further.

The Seychelles themselves benefitted from a walkover victory in the first round after Gambia were banned from all CAF competitions for two years, having fielded overage players in qualifying for the CAF U-20s Championships. Eritrea, meanwhile, withdrew from the preliminary round without even taking to the pitch, giving South Sudan a bye in their first attempt to qualify for the Cup of Nations.

Who will win AFCON 2015? Vote on my poll on the homepage here



Estadio de Bata will host the tournament's opening game (nussli.us)

Reigning champions Nigeria failed to qualify, alongside Egypt, the most successful nation in the tournament's history, with seven victories, the last being in 2010. Whether the absence of these big names will be a detriment to the tournament remains to be seen. Even though AFCON has a reputation for being unpredictable, this could be the most open tournament in years.

The bookies' favourites are Algeria, who qualified easily and gained many admirers for their performances in Brazil last summer, when they made history by making the knockout stages of the World Cup for the first time. They may be lamenting the decision by their North African neighbours to rescind their right to host however, given the vast changes in climate to the tropical temperatures they can expect in Mongomo, where they will play two group games.

Burkina Faso were the surprise package of the last tournament, finishing runners up to Nigeria. They continued this good form into World Cup qualifying and only missed out on a place in Brazil on away goals, having drawn 3-3 with Algeria. They will get the chance to avenge the defeat to Gabon that cost them the chance to win their qualifying group, as the two teams have been paired in Group A along with the hosts and Congo.

Both Ivory Coast and Ghana have flattered to deceive in this tournament despite their undoubted talent, and both have been drawn into the tougher two groups. Ivory Coast are paired with Mali, Cameroon and Guinea, while Ghana take on Algeria, South Africa and Senegal. Neither group will be easy to escape, and you have to think any nation that can make it into the knockout phase from these groups has a good chance to win the trophy.

Whether the country is ready or not, Equatorial Guinea will hope the on-pitch action will take attention away from any criticism heading their way. Little is expected of the hosts, but there are plenty of countries here who can play decent football and challenge for victory.

The quality of football at this tournament is sometimes questionable, but it is rarely boring. Players like Yaya Toure (Ivory Coast) , Yacine Brahimi (Algeria) and Sadio Mané (Senegal)  all have the talent to light up a tournament like this.

Hopefully, the tournament will be a success and banish the bad headlines that have relentlessly dogged the build up. Will there be a surprise package like Burkina Faso, or Zambia one year before them? Or perhaps a breakout star who could persuade clubs to splash the cash on them in the transfer window. Who knows? There's one way to find out.

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Can Qatar use home advantage to break Europe's domination of the World Handball Championships?

Have Qatar got the potential to upset the European sides and add to their continental successes of 2014? (QatarHandball2015.com)

By Steven Oldham

The men's World Handball Championships start this Thursday in Qatar and the host nation look the most capable outside bet to end Europe's total domination of this competition.

All 23 previous world titles have gone to European teams since the Championships began in 1938. Spain are the reigning champions having made the most of home advantage two years ago, but France - current European and Olympic champions - go into the tournament as favourites.

While much has been made of Qatar's suitability to hold the FIFA 2022 World Cup, handball is a sport in which their reputation and trophy cabinet are growing in equal measure.

Under Valero Rivera López - who coached Spain to their world title triumph two years ago - they won both the Asian Championships and Asian Games in 2014.

The hosts are ranked fifth favourites behind France, Spain, Denmark and Croatia - and will need to maintain the same sort of free-scoring form that took them to continental success last year to stand a chance of matching these lofty expectations.

For Qatar, a home tournament gives them ample opportunity to record their best ever performance at a World Championships - they've made the knockout rounds once before - and failure to qualify from the group stages this time is unthinkable.

The 24 team tournament consists of four groups of six, with the top four from each group qualifying to a straight knockout format. After being paired with Spain, Slovenia, Belarus, Brazil and Chile, the Qataris stand a good chance of securing a winnable tie in the last 16.

Home advantage is well proven to be a true phenomenon in sport and handball is no exception. Germany, Sweden, France and Spain have all won titles on their own turf, while Tunisia have only ever got anywhere near the semi finals once - when they hosted the tournament back in 2005 - eventually finishing fourth.

Realistically, Qatar will find it difficult to topple the real big boys, even in Lusail or Doha. That they are being spoken about in the same breath as these teams however is testament to their massive improvement in recent years. It will also be an interesting side note to see how Rivera López sets Qatar up to face his old team Spain, who still include many of his title winning team within their squad.

Artist's impression of the new 15,300 seater Lusail Multipurpose Hall
(QatarHandball2015.com)

The bid to host this tournament four years ago was well received by fellow International Handball Federation members and they beat other bids from the French, Poland and Norway to secure another entry in the ever-growing scrapbook of sporting events held in the Gulf state.  The purpose-built, 15,300 capacity Lusail Multipurpose Hall is the focal point for this tournament and will see the first action of the Championships' between the hosts and Brazil on Thursday.

The Championships remain frustratingly Europe-centric however, with the next edition in two years in France followed by the 2019 tournament which will be jointly held by Denmark and Germany. Both France and Germany have hosted the tournament since the turn of the century. 

In this respect, handball runs the risk of lagging behind fellow Olympic sports, which are trying to grow outside of their traditional heartlands and develop bigger fanbases worldwide - see the Judo World Championships being held in Astana, Kazakhstan later this year.

Moving back to Qatar, their marked improvement means hopes of a first Olympic qualification for Rio 2016 are rising. Momentum appears to be on their side and a creditable showing in the forthcoming competition could act as a springboard to reaching this goal.

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No Olympics? No problem! Championships galore in minority and developing sports in 2015 as road to Rio continues

By Steven Oldham

Even though there's no Olympic Games this year, there is plenty of action to follow in the sports that make up the biggest show on Earth.

Olympic sports will also benefit from the men's World Cup taking place last year - giving them more opportunity for exposure in 2015 as the months and days tick down to Rio 2016.

Throughout the year lots of sports are holding world and continental championships - here are some highlights.

Handball World Championships
Qatar
January 15-February 1

Will Spain be celebrating again in Doha on February 1?
(beforeitsnews.com)

Handball is the latest sport holding a prestigious tournament in Qatar, with the men's  world championships one of the first events of the year for Olympic sports fans.
Teams from 24 nations will contest the title, including current champions Spain, who made the most of home advantage two years ago and will be looking to seal their position as top dog with Rio 2016 now just 18 months away.
Reigning Olympic and European champions France will also surely be a force to reckoned with, having reclaimed their continental title last year in Denmark.
Having won the Asian Championship for the first time last year, the hosting Qataris should be quietly confident of achieving their best result to date.
The women's tournament takes place in Denmark in December and the majority of places are still to be determined via qualifiers.


FIFA Women's World Cup
Canada
June 6-July 5

Japan's Azusa Iwashimizu, who scored the goal
that sealed her country's first Asian Cup win
(zimbio.com)

The rise in interest in women's football should continue in 2015 with what is likely to be the most watched and talked about World Cup to date.  The tournament has grown to 24 teams for the first time, and as such will follow an awkward route to get to the neat 16/8/4/2 system that works best, with the best four third placed teams in the group stages advancing to the knockout rounds.
Host nation Canada start the proceedings against China on June 6, and all four previous winners (most recent champions Japan, Germany, USA and Norway) have qualified again. The expansion of the tournament will see one third of the teams making their World Cup debuts.
Holders Japan go into the tournament with high hopes following an inaugural Asian Cup win last year, finally winning after being the bridesmaids on four occasions.
Two-times winners Germany qualified for the tournament with ease, winning all 10 games and finishing with an impressive goal difference of +58, while fellow double champions USA will be looking to win a first title since 1999.
 

World Table Tennis Championships
China
April 26-May 3

China's Zhang Jike will be looking to retain his world title on home turf

'Odd' years see table tennis players aiming for individual and doubles titles at the world championships, as opposed to 'even' years which now play host to the team event.
This year the tournament returns to China for a fifth time, this time in the eastern city of Suzhou.  It's hard to look past a highly successful tournament for players from the host nation, and indeed from Asia. At the last edition in Paris two years ago, not one medal escaped to another continent.
Home advantage is likely to play into Chinese hands, who boast the current Olympic and World champions Zhang Jike and Li Xiaoxia in the men's and women's events respectively. Competition for the holders is likely to come from within; Jike had a poor year by his standards in 2014 and is below countrymen Xu Xin, Ma Long and Fan Zhendong in the ITTF rankings following successive early exits in big competitions.
Beaten in the final two years ago, Liu Shiwen is now higher than Xiaoxia in the world rankings and won the Asian Games last year. They both trail Ding Ning however, who took victory in both the World Cup and Asian Cup in a successful 2014.

World Weightlifting Championships
USA
November 20-29

Albania's Daniel Godelli on his way to gold in Kazakhstan last year

This year's World Weightlifting Championships - to be held in Houston - is also doubling up as a qualifier for Rio 2016. Performance in this tournament - and the 2014 event - are the most important for the various National Olympic Committees as the majority of places for the Games will be decided by lifters' performance in these tournaments. Athletes' performance will directly influence the number of places available to their NOC, and the likelihood of them being selected for Rio. There are further chances to qualify individually, but a strong showing on the world stage will surely give them an advantage. At last year's Worlds in Kazakhstan, Asian nations proved to be the teams to beat with China, North Korea and the host nation winning 11 of the 15 gold medals available between them. Russia's performance dramatically dropped off compared to the year before - winning just one gold compared to six in 2013 - it will be interesting to see which nations' lifters will build momentum heading into the final months before Rio.

IPC Swimming World Championships
Scotland
July 13-19

Will Great Britain's Ellie Simmonds repeat her London 2012 success?

Glasgow is again set to welcome swimmers from across the globe one year on from the Commonwealth Games as the biggest Paralympic swimming meet outside the Games lands in Scotland this summer.
Around 650 swimmers from over 50 countries will take part in the Championships and a good performance here could prove a launch pad for these athletes for next year's Paralympic Games.
Great Britain's golden girl Ellie Simmonds will provide the star attraction for a partisan crowd, and the seven time world and four time Paralympic champion will be keen to add to her medal haul on home turf.

There are too many world and continental championships to mention in one blog - ice hockey, judo, fencing, gymnastics and pentathlon to name but five are all searching for new world champions this year. Keep an eye on my blog nearer to the time for more features on these and other events.

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