By Tom Degun

January 26 - The year’s first wheelchair tennis  Grand Slam - the 2010 Australian Wheelchair Tennis Open - kicks off tomorrow at Melbourne Park with seven of the world’s top ten men’s and women’s players and all four top ranked quad players including Britain’s Peter Norfolk (pictured) in action.



Defending quad champion Norfolk is looking to claim his fourth Australian Open quad singles title and the 17th major of his career this week.

The two-time Paralympic champion ended 2009 as the world number one ranked quad singles player for the fifth time in seven seasons after another highly successful year during which he won both the Australian Open and US Open Grand Slam titles.

In the men’s event, Japan’s Shingo Kunieda will undoubtedly be the man to beat.

Kunieda, the 2009 International Tennis Federation (ITF) men’s wheelchair tennis world champion only dropped three sets in 37 matches last year although Stephane Houdet of France and Stefan Olsson from Sweden could provide the strongest competition to the defending champion as both took him to a deciding set at Roland Garros in 2009.

In the women's event, world number two Korie Homan will be the favourite to win her first Grand Slam women’s singles title absence of the formidable Esther Vergeer, who is unbeaten in 383 singles matches.

Homan’s last loss to anyone other than Vergeer was in February 2008 when she was beaten by Florence Gravellier of France and the Dutchwoman’s strongest opposition is likely to again come from Gravellier, Australia’s Daniela di Toro and Jiske Griffioen of the Netherlands.

Di Toro and Griffioen are the only two players in the field to have winning form so far this season while Griffioen will hope to continue her resurgence after beating the Australian in the recent Adelaide Open final.

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