With $7 million in career earnings and a 251-140 career won-lost record, Serbian fireball Jelena Jankovic has claimed the top seed at the year’s first Grand Slam tournament in Melbourne. The power-packed field is loaded with potential upsets and Jankovic’s path to the finals will be a difficult road.

Play in the 2009 Australian Open begins January 19th and Jelena’s first round opponent, 24 year old Yvonne Meusburger of Austria, carries a 22-38 won-lost record and should not pose much of an upset threat. A likely round of 16 matchup with 16th seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli could be interesting and has real upset potential.

The 24 year old Bartoli has more than $2.5 million in career earnings and is a seasoned competitor. Her 198-157 resume lacks one big win to dramatically boost her rankings. Jankovic’s Grand Slam record is not impressive. Jelena has never won a Grand Slam event. If Jankovic survives the round of 16, she will most likely face either 3rd seeded Dinara Safina of Russia or 5th seeded crowd favorite and last year’s runner-up Ana Ivanovic.

Safina appears ready for all challengers and is approaching the 2009 season with confidence. With a 232-122 tour record, Dinara has cause for optimism. At 6’0” Safina towers over most of the field and hopes to bring her power game to Melbourne.

The stunning Ana Ivanovic of Serbia will rally her legions of fans and boasts impressive credentials. With a win at the French Open in 2008 that followed her Runner-up finish in Australia, Ana was ready for a breakout year. The fanfare and bright lights may have slowed her play, but she has vowed to come out swinging in 2009. That is bad news for the top half of the draw.

The lower half of the Women’s Draw features some heavy hitters and weighted credentials. Betting favorite and 2nd seeded Serena Williams is more fit than at any time in her career and is sporting impressive wins of late. The 2008 U.S. Open marked Serena’s 9th Grand Slam Championship and completed a return to top form. Serena is the single most feared player on the tour right now. With a 390-81 record and $22 million in career earnings, it is easy to see why.

9th seeded Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, 13th seeded Victoria Azraenka of Bulgaria and 8th seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova pose interesting hurdles along the way to Serena’s likely semifinal appearance.

4th seeded Russian Elena Dementieva will have the most difficult challenges in her efforts to extend her play at the Open. With semifinal appearances at Wimbledon and the U.S.Open, Elena’s game is on the cusp. She always seems to be one service break away from glory. Perhaps, Melbourne will bring that break, but it will not come easily.

To reach the semis again, the Russian will have to play through 18th seed Slovakian Dominika Cibulkova, 14th seeded Swiss retriever Patty Schnyder and 6th seeded American Venus Williams.

With 7 Grand Slam Trophies and more than $20 million in career earnings, Venus has spurned retirement talks in her efforts to regain her form. There is no quit in Venus Williams and she seems poised to matchup against her sister in the semifinals one more time. A flamboyant dresser and ground stroke powerhouse, Venus can be streaky, but when she is on her game, watch out.

Samantha Stosur of the home country is ready to compete. Having returned from injury, Samantha has been impressive and recently pushed Serena in a tough three set match. The unseeded and unconventional Stosur will likely face Dementieva in the 3rd round. Stosur is not to be taken lightly in 2009 and with the local fans solidly behind her, Samantha will press all competitors. She is regarded as one of the more fierce players on the Women’s Tour.