Australian Open 2011 produced two strong champions -- singles winners Novak Djokovic and Kim Clijsters. A third player at Melbourne, Chinese star Li Na, drew worldwide admiration for her remarkable play and compelling manner. Also emerging was a cluster of young and relatively unfamiliar players, both male and female, whose performance promised early membership in the sport's top tiers. Indeed it would be this group, the new arrivals, that would stir early attention in the weeks that followed.
 
FEBRUARY SURPRISES -- THE WOMEN
 
That was assuredly the case in women's tennis in February's first weekend. Amid wide-ranging Fed Cup drama, several of our risers -- Kvitova, Petkovic, Jovanovski, Pavlyuchenkova, and Wickmayer -- joined Clijsters in lifting their nations to opening-round triumphs. The action included match-ups of the eight nations of World Group I, where the winners --Italy, Russia, Czech Republic, and Belgium -- became the Final Four still remaining in the year's Cup chase.
 
Next, in successive weeks came three WTA Premium tournaments. In Paris, Kim Clijsters scored workmanlike wins over several opponents, including hard-hitting Kaia Kanepi in a straight-set semi. Kaia's bigger shots too often landed outside the lines. But Kim's final-round opponent, February 13, was Petra Kvitova, 20, whose left-handed sliced serves and severe forehand rocketry made big trouble for Kim on the wood-base, indoor surface. Kim failed to generate sustained runs of her best tennis against this young and powerful opponent, who in defeating Kim showed excellent mental strength when it most counted.
 
Nearly all the top stars other than Clijsters then convened outdoors in Dubai (14-20 February). The upsets came quickly. Petra Kvitova, having just won in Paris, now lost her first match at Dubai, beaten by another 20-year-old, Ayumi Morita, in two tiebreak sets. Meanwhile Li Na failed to seize several match points and then lost to Yanina Wickmayer, 21, in split sets. Na struck nine aces against her opponent's one but also contributed seven double-faults. Then Alisa Kleybanova, 21, continued the march of the young, beating second-seeded Zvonareva in straight sets. All three of these victorious 21-or-under players, however, would lose to more-experienced opponents in their next matches. It would be the high-water mark in the current swing for the youth brigade, aside from its leader, Caroline Wozniacki.
 
In the first show-down among the final four in Dubai, Wozniacki showed her usual tenacity, coming from behind against Jelena Jankovic after overcoming four adverse set points. Then in the second semi-final, Svetlana Kuznetsova's heavier forehand prevailed over Flavia Pennetta's balanced strengths, in two close sets.
 
But in the Sunday evening final, Kuznetsova's attacking efforts had little success against Wozniacki's formula -- i.e., consistency and defense, plus her improving ability to take the offensive when her confidence was high. In winning at Dubai, Caroline reclaimed the #1 place atop the official WTA (rolling-12-month) rankings that she had recently lost to Clijsters.
 
The cast next moved to nearby Doha for fresh action. Again, Li Na lost her first match, as did Azarenka. Favorites Wozniacki and Zvonareva made it to the final, the former by one-sided scores, the latter surviving difficult three-setters against Hantuchova and Jankovic. But if the auspices were scarcely encouraging for Zvonareva, the reality was a different matter. Showing power that was more fluid and penetrating than Wozniacki's, along with, surprisingly, better court movement, Vera took the lead early and held off Wozniacki's strong bids thereafter. Caroline, aware that a soft game would be suicidal, very nearly matched Vera in attacking, but Vera's fine countering ability frequently denied Caroline's boldness. Meanwhile, too often Caroline's second serve proved vulnerable.
 
FEBRUARY SURPRISES -- THE MEN
 
Among the men, early February brought the first of the year's 500-series tournaments -- the annual gathering on fast indoor courts in Rotterdam. There the game's Top Eight were represented by Murray, Ferrer, Berdych, and Soderling. The first two went out early, and Berdych withdrew with virus troubles after winning two matches. In the final round, Robin Soderling out-muscled Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in a close-fought three-setter, where the outcome was decided in a few short moments toward the finish. Robin again prevailed the next week, at Marseille, winning the final over Marin Cilic, a taller and younger version of himself. The first set was a closely contested slugfest, won by Cilic. But after that the Swede became superior in every department, but especially in his devastating forehand, executed with strong arm and downward-tilted racket face, producing severe both topspin and velocity.
 
Meanwhile 20-year-old Milos Raonic, height 6-5, captured the indoor tournament in San Jose, California, defeating first-seeded Verdasco in two tiebreak sets in the final match. The serving prowess of the new Canadian star, amply shown in Melbourne, was again dazzling in its velocities, placement, and second-serve spin. Milos's forehand was just as devastating, though his backhand seemed sometimes a liability. But it was a two-handed backhand sizzler that surprised Verdasco and created the critical minibreak turning the first set to the youth.
 
Milos's amazing run continued in Memphis (14-20 February), where the powerful youth began by again defeating Verdasco, this time in a third-set tiebreaker. Three more wins followed, all three-setters. Against Mardy Fish in the semis, Milos became erratic in the second set, but his big serve and a tightened ground game carried him to third-set success. His final-round opponent would be Andy Roddick, who, playing well, had just beaten a del Potro recently returned from wrist surgery and now troubled by a thigh problem.
 
Against Roddick, Milos again showed magnificent serving and composure unusual for so young a player. As expected, neither player could do much with the other's serve initially. Milos lost the first-set tiebreaker, overhitting badly, but won the second, tempering his rocketry. Both players gradually improved in returning and both, especially Raonic, began playing cautiously, so that toward the finish more than a few points became extended. Andy finally prevailed although, as Andy told the crowd as he accepted his trophy, Milos had outplayed him for much of the going. Milos struck 32 aces during the evening, including one measured at 150 mph.
 
Almost as spectacular as the arrival of Raonic was that of Alex Dolgopolov, 22, whose remarkably diverse game features drop shots, net excursions, severely sliced backhands (and forehands), all along with sizzling and deceptive serving and ground strokes. Alex, who lists Kiev, Ukraine, as residence and birthplace, has a pleasant albeit serious court manner and a propensity for trying high-risk shots, which his natural talent rewards more often than seems likely. Alex, who finished 2010 as world #48, attained the final eight at Australian Open 2011 (losing to Murray in four). Then on clay in February the new star reached the final in Brazil and the semis in Acapulco, Mexico, losing to Almagro and Ferrer, respectively, the ultimate champions of the two events. In knocking out Wawrinka in Acapulco earlier, Alex ripped bold approach shots that missed more often than they scored, but his fine serve gave him sufficient margin for victory.
 
As February ended, Djokovic in Dubai repeated his Australian victory over Federer. More on the latter happening, below.
 
INDIAN WELLS AND MIAMI
 
Larger matters are to be decided in March. The pros will convene first at Indian Wells, California, for the BNP Paribas Open (March 9-20) and then at Miami, Florida, for the Sony-Ericsson. (March 22-April 3). Both Indian Wells and Miami are mandatory tournaments for both men and women, which must be included in calculating each player's ranking. Each event rewards its champion with half the number of ranking points given for winning a Slam, so that the two together, happening consecutively, count as much as a Slam. Both have 96-player men's and women's draws.
 
Both are outdoor events, played on hard courts. The surface at Indian Wells is generally thought to give a slower, higher bounce than Miami's. The dryer and thinner desert air in California should produce faster ball-through-the-air velocities, however. Windy conditions are common at both events.
 
It is unusual for one player to capture both Indian Wells and Miami in a given year, In the last decade only Clijsters has done so among the women, in 2005, and only Agassi once and Federer twice among the men. Outcomes at both are plainly related to those at Melbourne, especially among the men, as in the last decade the male winner at Australian Open then won the following Indian Wells five times, the following Miami three times.
 
WOMEN'S SINGLES AND THE BIG THREE
 
A large consideration in analyzing women's tennis events must be the presence or absence of the sisters Williams. In accord with their pattern of recent years, neither Serena nor Venus will be on hand at Indian Wells 2011. They have regularly played at Miami, however, where over her career Serena has won five times, Venus thrice. But Serena will remain sidelined from her foot injury after last year's Wimbledon. Venus has not ruled herself out from Miami, though she has not competed since withdrawing in the third round at Melbourne. Also absent from both Indian Wells and Miami will be Justine Henin and Elena Dementieva, both of whom have recently retired.
 
Here we rank the favorites at Indian Wells. Our yardstick is "hcp" -- i.e., ranking points earned on hard courts over the last 12 months. Results on clay and grass are excluded from the tally. Also offered below are odds for winning Indian Wells, calculated from the hcp values. (The odds for Miami are currently the same, but they should change substantially after results from Indian Wells are known and also if Venus returns.)

• #1. Caroline Wozniacki, 20, 5-10, 8506 hard-court points hcp, odds 2-1. Caroline's pattern of fast improvement, seen in her rapid rise to reach the top place in the WTA rankings in late 2010, seems likely to continue. She has been increasing her aggressiveness and use of power in her court tactics, thereby complementing her absolutely superior consistency and mental strengths. Thus her chances against topmost opponents are probably improving, and, at six years younger than the other members of the current Big Three, her future looks bright indeed.
• #2. Kim Clijsters, age 27, height 5-8, 8185 hcp, odds 2-1. In Paris, Clijsters reclaimed first place in the WTA official (rolling-12-month) rankings after five-year lapse. Before that she had won all three paramount events of recent months -- U.S. Open, the Doha 2010 year-ender, and Australian Open 2011. Kim's sustained power, her resolve to temper her attacking to hold down errors, and her marvelous court athleticism, all suggest that her stay at or near the top will continue, though in losing to an impressive Kvitova in the Paris final, Kim seemed physically and mentally below par from her preceding weeks of intense competition. Her decision to take time off between Paris and Indian Wells therefore seems wise.
• #3. Vera Zvonareva, 26, 5-8, 5726 hcp, odds 7-1. Vera finished second in the 2010 rankings -- behind Wozniacki and slightly ahead of Clijsters, and she then reached the semis in Australia, losing to Clijsters, whose backhand was the better that date. Although sucessses had otherwise been few in 2011 to date, her impressive win over Wozniacki in Doha reaffirmed her place near the top.

• #4. Victoria Azarenka, 21, 5-10, 2951 hcp, odds 35-1. Since returning from 2008 knee surgery, Victoria's heavy game has produced good success on hard courts, amid frequent withdrawals or retirements from events for various physical problems. She won Miami in 2009.
• #5. Li Na, 29, 5-8, 2792 hcp, odds 40-1. Na's magnificent drumfire at Melbourne fed expectations that then went unrealized at Dubai and Doha.
• #6. Samantha Stosur, 26, 5-8, 2721 hcp, odds 40-1. Disappointing results in 2011 to date.
• #7. Jelena Jankovic, 26, 5-9, 2568 hcp, odds 45-1. Jelena was champion of Indian Wells 2010, beating Wozniacki in a straight-set final. She lost closely to Wozniacki at Dubai and to Zvonareva at Doha 2011.
• #8. Francesca Schiavone, 30, 5-5, 2558 hcp, odds 50-1. Francesca's strong runs at U.S. Open 2010 and Australian Open 2011 have been followed by disappointments.
• #9. Agnieszka Radwanska, 22, 5-8, 2525 hcp, odds 50-1. Agnieszka reached the Final Four last year at Indian Wells, losing to Wozniacki, who has since increased her margin of superiority over A Rad.
• #10. Svetlana Kuznetsova, 25, 5-8, 2416 hcp, odds 55-1. Now a veteran at 25, Svetlana has shown her past greatness only sporadically of late.

• #15. Alisa Kleybanova, 21, 5-11, 1879 hcp. Beat Zvonareva at Dubai 2011.
• #17. Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, 19, 5-10,1803 hcp. Won two critical matches (a singles and the doubles) without loss in Russia's 3-2 Fed Cup win over France, 2011.
• #20. Yanina Wickmayer, 21, 6-0, 1714 hcp. Beat Li at Dubai, lost in third-set tiebreak to Kvitova at Paris.
• #21. Petra Kvitova, 21, 6-0, 1688 hcp. Clearly upward bound following her triumph in Paris, beating Clijsters.
• #24. Dominika Cibulkova, 21, 5-3, 1381 hcp. Short in stature but heavy hitter.
• #35+. Bojana Jovanovski, 19, 5-9, 650 hcp. Won two singles and the doubles in Serbia's 3-2 Fed Cup win over Canada, 2011.
• #35+. Ayumi Morita, 20, 5-5, 586 hcp. Defeated Kvitova at Dubai.

• #1. Roger Federer, age 29, height 6-2, 6935 hcp, odds 3-1. Roger is three-time past champion at Indian Wells, two times at Miami. He shows strong hcp for 2011 alone, having won Doha in early January, reached semis at Australian Open, and reached final at Dubai.
• #2. Novak Djokovic, 23, 6-2, hcp 6115, odds 4-1. Novak's blistering ground game and his superb footwork in court movement, along with an improved first serve, won him the crown at Australian Open 2011 and, impressively, at Dubai 2011. Over the years he has performed well in the March events, having won Indian Wells once, Miami once, and been runner-up once at both events.
• #3. Rafael Nadal, 24, 6-1, hcp 5390, odds 6-1. Rafa may well be the very best clay-court player in tennis history. He is also among today's very best on nonclay surfaces, having stepped up his serving forcefulness, developed a sliced backhand, and learned to routinely play close to rather than well behind baseline. He won hard-court Slams in Australia 2009 and U.S. 2010, defeating Federer and Djokovic in the two finals, respectively. He won Indian Wells in 2007 and 2009 but missed both Indian Wells and Miami in 2010 with upper leg injury. He has not competed since experiencing hamstring trouble in a losing effort at Australian Open 2011. Rafa's extreme overspin is most effective on clay but becomes somewhat less so on hard courts in comparison with the habitually flatter, more-penetrating artillery of his top opponents.
• #4. Andy Murray, 23, 6-3, hcp 4525, odds 9-1. Andy lost one-sidedly to Djokovic in the final at Melbourne Park 2011. He then lost in the first round at Rotterdam.
• #5. Robin Soderling, 226, 6-4, hcp 4015, odds 12-1. Robin's severe serving and stroking are most effective on indoor courts. Robin has already won three tournaments in 2011, two of them indoors. His only loss this year came at Australian Open, to Dogopolov. He was semi-finalist last year at both Indian Wells and Miami.

• #6. Andy Roddick, 28, 62, 3375 hcp, odds 18-1. Andy was runner-up at Indian Wells last year and won Miami.
• #7. Thomas Berdych, 25, 6-5, 2295 hcp, odds 45-1. Was runner-up at Miami last year. Withdrew at Dubai 2011 with left-leg injury.
• #8. David Ferrer, 28, 5-9, 2290 hcp, odds 45-1. Won recent clay event in Acapulco.
• #9. Gael Monfils, 24, 6-4, 2145 hcp, odds 50-1. Sidelined since withdrawing at San Jose 2011.
• #10. Ivan Ljubicic, 31, 6-4, 1820 hcp, odds 75-1. Won Indian Wells 2010.
• #11. Mikhail Youzhny, 28, 6-0, 1700 hcp, odds 90-1.
• #12. Mardy Fish, 29, 6-2, 1570 hcp, odds 105-1. Contended well after bad start in losing to del Potro at Delray Beach.

• #22. Milos Raonic, 20, 6-5, 950 hcp
• #35+. Juan Martin del Potro, 22, 6-6, 585 hcp. The U.S. Open 2009 champ has been out for a year for wrist surgery. But he sizzled in winning semi-final at Delray Beach 2011, then won the title despite seeming illness or fatigue.
• #35+. Alex Dogopolov, 22, 5-11, 425 hcp