Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork. Cheap Soccer Jerseys China .com) - The Grand Slam season will get underway Monday at the Australian Open in Melbourne, where a new champion will be crowned this year. Li Na was the runner-up in 2011 and 13 before she nailed down her first Australian Open title last season by beating pesky Slovak Dominika Cibulkova in the final. But the Chinese star retired toward the end of last season, opening the way for a new Aussie champ in 2015. Who are the favorites to fill the void, you say? Well, lets take a look. You dont have to look much further than five-time Aussie titlist Serena Williams, whos never lost in a final in Oz while holding the Open Era record for titles there. The 18-time Grand Slam winner will be the favorite at the latest Aussie fortnight ... and for good reason. Surprisingly, however, the world No. 1 superstar and reigning U.S. Open champ is seeking her first Aussie title in five years. From 2003 to 2010, the mighty Serena nailed down the five Aussie championships, beating five former No. 1 stars in all of those finals (Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Maria Sharapova, Dinara Safina and Justine Henin, respectively). But she hasnt gotten past the quarters in Melbourne since the 10 championship, including a fourth-round loss a year ago. Sharapova will take a crack at Serena, even though she hasnt beaten her American rival since 2004, or 15 straight meetings. Fifteen straight! The reigning French Open queen captured her lone Aussie title in 2008 and is a two-time runner-up at Melbourne Park, where, like Serena, she exited early in the round of 16 last year. The five-time major titlist from Russia opened her 2015 season last week with a title in Brisbane, where she beat fellow former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic in a sexy final. Simona Halep will be the No. 3 seed in Melbourne, where she reached the quarterfinals a year ago. The quiet Romanian star was last years French Open runner-up to Sharapova and opened her 15 season with a title in China last week. Haleps a Grand Slam title waiting to happen after reaching at least the quarters at three of the four majors in 2014, including a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon. The best left-handed woman on the planet is Petra Kvitova. The world No. 4 star is a two-time Wimbledon champ and currently holds that coveted title. The Czech slugger reached the Aussie semis in 2012, but she has struggled Down Under since, failing to get past the second round, including an opening-round exit there a year ago. As a matter of fact, PK failed to get past the third round at three of the four Slams in 14 (but did manage to sneak out a second Wimby title in four years). The aforementioned Ivanovic is coming off one of her best seasons in several years and opened her latest campaign by reaching the final in Brisbane last week. The former world No. 1 from Serbia is no stranger to success in Melbourne, where she reached the final in 2008 and the quarterfinals a year ago. Having said that, in between the 08 runner-up finish and the trek into the round of eight last year, AI could do no better than the fourth round in the Bourne from 2009-13, or a five-year stretch. Ouch. But I thinks its safe to say shes recovered since then. Still the capable Ivanovic, the French Open champion in 2008 and runner-up in 2007, failed to get past the third round at the final three Slams of 2014, including a second-round flameout at the U.S. Open. The rest of the Top 10 is rounded out by former Wimbledon runner-up Agnieszka Radwanska; last years Wimbledon runner-up Genie Bouchard; former world No. 1 and two-time U.S. Open finalist Caroline Wozniacki; left-handed German Angelique Kerber; and rising Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who is yet another tough lefty. Radwanska just doesnt have enough power to run the table at a major. Bouchard, like Halep, will probably be a Grand Slam champion sooner rather than later. The young Canadian was the only woman to reach at least the semifinals at three of the four majors last year in only her first full Grand Slam season. The former world No. 1 Wozniacki, like the aforementioned Ivanovic, also has enjoyed a resurgence on tour. The popular Dane reached her second U.S. Open final in six years last year and opened her 2015 season by reaching a final in Auckland just last week. Wozniackis best Aussie showing was a trip into the semis in 2011. Kerber has no shot in Melbourne, while Makarova could make some noise Down Under. Makarova has quietly reached at least the quarters at six of the last 12 majors, including a trip into a U.S. Open semi in September. She was a back-to-back Aussie quarterfinalist in 2012 and 2013 and can make any player uncomfortable on the other side of the net. Venus Williams may not be a threat to win it all at the Aussie anymore, but she did open her 2015 season with a title in Auckland last week, beating Wozniacki in an attractive all-former-world-No. 1 finale. Venus is a seven-time major champ, but hasnt nailed down a big one since the 2008 Wimbledon Championships. She was the 2003 Aussie runner-up to her little sister, but hasnt been much of a factor since in Melbourne, reaching only a pair of quarterfinals over the last 11 years. Id say that ship has sailed. Keep your eye on one of my favorite young players on the tour ... Karolina Pliskova. This big-serving Czech was second on tour to only Serena in aces last year and is a dangerous southpaw for sure. She also had her best-ever showing at the last major event, a third-round berth in New York in September. And how about an unseeded Victoria Azarenka? The former world No. 1 star missed months of action last year while battling left foot and right knee injuries. But when healthy, Vika has been nothing short of a force at the Slams, especially in Oz, where she captured back-to- back titles in 2012 and 2013 and has appeared in at least the quarters there four of the last five years. Azarenka is also a two-time U.S. Open runner-up who has been making deep runs at the majors since 2009. In addition to Serena (and in some way, Venus), another American to keep an eye on could be 30th-ranked Madison Keys. The 19-year-old Illinois native could be one of the breakthrough players were looking for this year, and wouldnt that be nice. Well, whos gonna win it all this year? It would be real easy to pick Serena here, but Im leaning in the Simona Halep direction, if things can break right for the steady Romanian. Jerseys NFL China .Corey Brewer had 19 points eight rebounds, five assists and five steals for the Timberwolves, who snapped a six-game losing streak and won for just the third time since Ricky Rubio went out with an injured ankle on Nov. Wholesale Jerseys China . According to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger, it doesnt appear the offer was warmly received by the team. Blue Jackets director of hockey operations John Davidson and general manager Jarmo Kekalainen said on Wednesday the team has made offers of $6 million for two years, $32 million for six and $46 million over eight years but each one was refused by the restricted free agent centre and agent Kurt Overhardt.New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Big wins by Ole Miss and Mississippi State on Saturday boosted those two schools into a tie for third in the latest Associated Press college football poll. Florida State stayed the top-ranked team in the nation following a 43-3 thrashing of Wake Forest, but the Rebels and Bulldogs are making big noise in the poll. Ole Miss, which moved up from No. 11 following a 23-17 victory over then-No. 3 Alabama, has its highest ranking since 1970. The Bulldogs, who climbed from No. 12 after a 48-31 home win over Texas A&M, have attained their highest mark in the poll in school history. The Seminoles received 35 first-place votes and 1,461 points from a nationwide media panel. Auburn, which got 23 first-place votes surged from No. 5 to second with 1,459 points. Auburn throttled LSU, 41-7, on Saturday. Mississippi State got the other two first-place votes and were tied with the Rebels with 1,320 points. Mississippi State has a huge matchup next Saturday at home against Auburn. Baylor moved up two spots to fifth after a 28-7 road victory over Texas. Notre Dame, Alabama, Michigan State, TCU and Arizona complete the top-10. Everett Golson threw the go-ahead touchdown pass on fourth down with just over a minute leeft in Notre Dames 17-14 win over Stanford Saturday. China Jerseys Cheap. The Spartans, who were 10th last week, nearly blew a huge fourth-quarter lead before holding off Nebraska. TCU surged from No. 25 following its 37-33 upset over then-No. 4 Oklahoma, while Arizona is new to the rankings after a 31-24 victory Thursday at Oregon, which was ranked second. Arizonas jump is the largest ever in the top-25 rankings, which started in 1989. Oklahoma, Oregon, Georgia, Texas A&M and Ohio State are the next five teams in the poll. The Buckeyes moved up five slots after its rout of Maryland. Oklahoma State, Kansas State, UCLA, East Carolina and Arizona State comprise teams 16-20. The Bruins fell from No. 8 after a 30-28 home loss to Utah. By virtue of their win, the Utes moved into the poll at No. 24. Nebraska is No. 21, followed by new entry Georgia Tech, and Missouri. Stanford dropped 11 spots to No. 25. Next weeks schedule features five matchups of ranked teams. Three come from the powerhouse SEC. Aside from the Auburn-Mississippi State matchup, Ole Miss plays at Texas A&M, and Georgia plays at Missouri. Also, Baylor hosts TCU in a 5 vs. 9 matchup, and UCLA welcomes Oregon. Florida State aims for its 22nd straight win with a game at Syracuse. ' ' '