Maiden Slam: Five contenders who could thunder Down Under

The withdrawal of defending champion and seven-time winner Serena Williams has opened up the women's draw at the Australian Open. Here are five women who could win their first Grand Slam title next week:

Simona Halep

The world No 1 has fallen in the first round at Melbourne Park for the past two years but she has hit the ground running in 2018. Halep said she enjoyed "as good a preseason as I can remember" after sweeping both singles and doubles titles at the Shenzhen Open last week. An aggressive baseliner, the 26-year-old Romanian won in Madrid, Bucharest and Montreal last season and reached four other finals, including the French Open where she lost an epic three-setter to Jelena Ostapenko. Halep has to overcome her reputation for folding at critical moments in big matches, but she might never have a better chance to get off the mark.