The Baseline Top 8: Unlikely champs at the Australian Open

Despite the Hall of Fame pedigree of some of these players, if you would’ve picked them to win the Australian Open at these junctures of their careers, then fortune-telling must be your stock and trade.

From unseeded winners to champions on the comeback trail, here’s a look at eight players that made unexpected title runs Down Under.

1

The biggest overachiever at a major, Edmondson won the title ranked No. 212 in the world. He remains the last Aussie to win the men's title.

2

In a field that seriously missed much of the stars of the time, it was unseeded Australian Chris O’Neil—ranked No. 110—who captured the title with a straight-sets win over Betsy Nagelsen. She remains the last Australian woman to win her home Slam, and until Serena Williams’ 2007 run, was the last unseeded woman to capture the title.

3

Greatness was always predicted for Capriati, but save for Olympic gold medal in 1992, she had yet to win a Slam, or even make a major final. That all changed when she beat Martina Hingis for the first of her three career Slams.

4

Johansson had established himself as a solid player, but no one would've predicted him emerging from a draw that included nine past or future world No. 1s. His dream fortnight ended with a stunning win over Marat Safin in the final.

5

After his US Open win in 2000, the only question surrounding Safin was how many Slams was he going to amass. Five? Ten? Surprisingly, it was starting to look like he could end up being a “one hit wonder." The always-mercurial Safin put it together in 2005 to win one more, beating Lleyton Hewitt in the final after defeating Roger Federer in an epic semifinal.

6

The year before was one of the most trying years of Williams’ career as she struggled with injuries throughout the season, even slipping outside the Top 100. She entered the 2007 Australian Open unseeded, but motivated, and worked her way through to the final. She then beat world No. 1 Maria Sharapova in straight sets, and became the first unseeded woman to win the title in nearly 30 years.

7

Seemingly destined to live forever in Federer's shadow, his compatriot Wawrinka decided he was done with that, pushing himself to new heights in 2013 and 2014. He made the semis of the US Open in 2013, and a few months later, went much a few steps further by winning the title over Rafael Nadal.

8

Kerber was a solid member of the Top 10, but in the Age of Serena, she wasn't particularly thought of as a Slam contender. In Melbourne, she came back from the brink of defeat in the first round before gaining momentum and stunning Williams in the final. By the end of the year, Kerber was ranked No. 1 after a second major in New York.