The world number one Caroline Wozniacki must defy the weight of history to win the Australian Open after having her grand slam preparations rocked by a shock first-up drubbing at the Sydney International.
While Open favourite Kim Clijsters comfortably progressed to the quarter-finals, Wozniacki, world number two Vera Zvonareva and Australian ace Samantha Stosur all perished on Tuesday.
Only three women in the last quarter of a century - multiple major winners Martina Hingis (1998), Jennifer Capriati (2002) and Amelie Mauresmo (2004) - have lost their first match in Sydney and gone on to reign a fortnight later in Melbourne.
Like Wozniacki, the Russian second seed Zvonereva only arrived from Hong Kong on Sunday afternoon and looked understandably flat in a 7-5 7-5 loss to Flavia Pennetta, the world number 24 who dumped Stosur from the first round last year.
Fourth-seeded Stosur succumbed 3-6 6-3 6-4 to two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, leaving her with a 2-2 win-loss record this summer.
In the quarter-finals, Kuznetsova faces eighth seed Li Na, who outlasted Virginie Razzano 6-4 1-6 6-4.
Third-seeded Clijsters needed just 69 minutes for a 6-1 6-4 win over Czech qualifier Barbora Zahlavova Strycova in her second-round encounter.
The US Open champion will play seventh seed Victoria Azarenka for a semi-final spot after the Belarussian accounted for Shahar Peer 7-5 6-3.
