Ahh it is a new year and man is it good to be back. Grand Slam Tennis is what we want to watch and there is no better way to start than at the Australian Open. The crazy crowds, the late nights and the heat…there is really nothing like it.

And well with a new year, comes a fresh new look to Jared’s Fantasy League. The Leaderboard has had a redo and I hope you all enjoy the new look. There is also new prizes up for grabs which I hope will add a bit more spice for the middle and bottom end of the leaderboard. I hope you all enjoy!!!

The final day was epic as per usual with an influx of entries. We eventually ended up on 70 entries which is another great performance so thank you all for entering and I hope you enjoy the tennis, the fantasy league and the early mornings watching tennis.

Prizes up for grabs this time round:

• 1st Place – R1100
• 2nd Place – R500
• 3rd Place – R300
• 4th Place – R200
• 5th Place – R100
• 6th Place – R50
• 2 random position prizes – R50 Each (More explanation Later)
• Last Place – The legendary wooden spoon

Here are the most picked players (includes subs) for this year’s Aussie Open:

1. Sinner – 53 picks (75,71%)
2. De Minaur – 32 picks (45,71%)
3. Alcaraz – 31 picks (44,29%)
4. Zverev – 21 picks (30%
5. Paul– 16 picks (22,86%)

1. Sabalenka – 53 picks (75,71%)
2. Swiatek – 30 picks (42,86%)
3. Gauff – 23 picks (32,86%)
4. Navarro – 20 picks (28,57%)
5. Andreeva – 18 picks (25,71%)

Overall there were 52 different Male Picks and there were 50 different Ladies Picks.

Now onto the new spot prizes. I have spun a random wheel for all numbers 30 to 70 and whatever the spinner lands on will be the spot prize winner of R50 at the end of the Australian Open.

The Positions are:

41 and 69

Therefore if you finish in 41st or 69th spot at the end, you will win R50 spot prize. Good luck and I hope this brings about some more competitiveness as the competition goes on.

Now onto the action after day 1. Fils who was maybe a little surprisingly not picked by 1 team won his opening round match in 4 sets. Nishikori managed to come back from 2 sets down and match point down to win in 5 sets to make it 75% win rate in 5 set matches. Ruud also came through a tough match. The Norwegian winning in 5 sets against Munar. 24th seed, Lehecka came through his opening round in 4 sets. 26th seed, Machac who caught a few teams eye managed to win his first match in straight sets bagging 7 points. Opelka, Zverev and Humbert all came through their opening rounds comfortably. No real upsets in the mens draw on day 1. On the womens side, Fernandez, Andreeva, Zheng, Vekic, Badosa and Sabalenka all came through their opening rounds in comfortable straight set wins. The only major upset being the 29th seed, Noskova who lost in 3 sets against unseeded Tauson.

The leaderboard after day 1 is as follows: