Injured Rodionova On The Mend For Open

IF THE world rankings remain as they are between now and the cut-off date for direct Australian Open entry, only Lleyton Hewitt, Chris Guccione, Casey Dellacqua, Sam Stosur and Anastasia Rodionova from the host nation will earn automatic passage into the main draw. For Rodionova, like Hewitt, there is now an added complication, as the Russian-born baseliner recovers from season-ending hip surgery.