Agnieszka Radwańska, Poland’s best tennis player, is in top form before the Australian Open, which kicks off on January 14 and could provide the Polish star her first Grand Slam victory. Currently ranked 4th in WTA rankings, Ms Radwańska has won two tournaments this year, without losing a single set.

Even though Agnieszka Radwańska has been a world-class tennis player for years now, she usually isn’t considered a favorite at grand slam tournaments. But her recent run has transformed her into the top contender for the trophy in Melbourne. “Her tactical skills, anticipation, subtlety and general court craft have earned her comparisons with Martina Hingis and she has added another element to those attributes over the last couple of weeks – form,” Reuters wrote regarding her recent performances.

In preparation for the Australian Open, Ms Radwańska has played two tournaments and won both. In Auckland she beat Belgiums’ Yanina Wickmayer in the final and in the Sydney final she demolished Dominika Cibulkova from Slovakia without losing a single game. Agnieszka Radwańska’s biggest success so far was advancing to the Wimbledon final last year, where she was defeated by American tennis legend, Serena Williams.

Now she wants more. “I’m very happy with my performance, I have been playing my best tennis so far this year and I plan to keep it that way in Melbourne,” Ms Radwańska said after her winning streak in early January.

Her biggest rival in Melbourne will be Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, whom she played against six times in 2012, losing every match, including one in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open, which the Belarusian eventually won.

But the defending champion and top seed for the tournament faces health issues before the start of the first Grand Slam of 2013. She has already been forced to pull out of a tournament this year and it is not clear what her form will be like in this year’s Australian Open.

Agnieszka Radwańska isn’t the only Pole playing in Melbourne. Her younger sister Urszula, seeded 31st, and Jerzy Janowicz, seeded 24th, will also play in the tournament, as will Łukasz Kubot (unseeded).

Jacek Ciesnowski