AO 2017 Day 5 Top Contenders

The clouds that have rolled in over Melbourne Park on Day 5 of the 2017 Australian Open seem to be a reminder of the strange events the day before. The ousting of Novak Djokovic by Denis Istomin and Aga Radwanska by Mirjana Lucic-Baroni made Day 4 one of the most shocking of the event so far.

As everyone is trying to dissect how events went so much against the odds, we have to wonder who stands to benefit the most from the change in the standing of the draw?

On the men’s side, Andy Murray’s bid for the title got its biggest boost. He could still will likely have a tough battle against Kei Nishikori, the second favorite for the title, to get out of the quarterfinals but avoiding a final with Djokovic (as much as we all were hoping for it) makes him the surest to take it all. After Murray, the player who next got the biggest boost in his chances is Milos Raonic, who is now neck and neck with Kei Nishikori for the second most likely man to take the title win.

On the women’s side, Angelique Kerber has seen the most benefit by having Simona Halep no longer in her half of the draw. Kerber is no 6 percentage points closer to the win than at the start of the event. Serena Williams has also gained momentum with 2 matches under her belt. The favorite for the event title is now 4 percentage points closer to her goal. The third player to benefit most form the draw shuffle is Johanna Konta, who gained over two percentage points toward the championship.

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