January 2022 Preview : Bumper Start to the New Year

Last Updated : 31st December, 2021 By Steve A

A brand new year of sport begins with a host of top events in January. Our sporting preview looks ahead to the Masters, the climax of the World Darts Championship, tennis down under (we won't mention the cricket) and the Africa Cup of Nations

Back to Ally Pally for the Masters

Last year saw the Masters snooker tournament held in Milton Keynes. Yan Bingtao was the surprising winner and he bids this year to do something that hasn't happened since 2017, namely retain the title. Ronnie O'Sullivan was the last player to achieve that feat. Before that, you have to go back to 2002 when the late Paul Hunter won the title for the second year in a row.

Again, this invitational tournament looks open with no one dominating the 2021/22 snooker season. Bingtao begins the defence of his title with a match against Mark Williams who'll hopefully stay awake during the whole match. If Bintao does make it to the quarter finals, it could be an all-Chinese clash. He's due to face the winner of the match between UK champion Zhao Xintong and John Higgins who last won this title 15 years ago and lost to Bingtao in the final last year. The top half of the draw also contains Ronnie O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson.

In the bottom half of the draw, Judd Trump (winner in 2019) faces Mark Allen (winner in 2018) with the winner taking on either Kyren Wilson or 2020 champion Stuart Bingham. If Trump can hit form, then he should be able to reach at least the semi-finals. The likely opponents in the last four include World Champion Mark Selby and 2015 champion Shaun Murphy. It's an open tournament but Trump has a good chance of winning his second Masters.

Medvedev to Win Another Grand Slam?

The first Grand Slam of the year takes place in Australia beginning on January 17. The big question that is yet to be answered is whether or not defending champion Novak Djokovic will be taking part. The nine-time champion is yet to confirm his participation due to the tournament requiring players to be vaccinated against Covid or have a medical exemption. Djokovic has pulled out of the ATP Cup that takes place in Australia in the first week of January, so it's highly likely he won't be at the Australian Open.

If he doesn' play, then Daniil Medvedev has a great chance of winning a second Grand Slam in a row. He won the US Open last year preventing Djokovic from winning a fourth Grand Slam of 2020. Medvedev is the world number two and was the runner-up in this tournament last year, losing in straight sets to Djokovic. 

Rafael Nadal is confirmed to take part in this tournament but he has only won this tournament once and that was 12 years ago. Other contenders include Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas. All will see their chances of a Grand Slam win boosted if Djokovic doesn't travel down under.

What will Emma Raducanu achieve in 2022? The US Open winner hasn't done a great deal since that triumph in New York. Raducanu will be seeded in this tournament, no more qualifying for her. The young Brit still has to prove she can beat the very best in the game so it'll be interesting to see how she progresses. Defending women's champion is Naomi Osaka, let's hope she has a healthier 2022. Osaka has won this title twice in the past three years so could again be a contender. It's going to be the usual open event but Osaka and home favourite Ashleigh Barty should be in contention for the title.

Price Chases Another World Darts Championship

Not since 2016 has a player retained the PDC World Darts Championship. That was Scotsman Gary Anderson and this year, it's Gerwyn Price from Wales who attempts to achieve that feat. The tournament began in 2021 and has seen several players have to withdraw due to you know what. That list includes former champion Michael van Gerwen.

Price is still going strong though and is due to face ninth seeded Michael Smith in the last eight when the tournament resumes. If he gets through that, then he'll face either fourth seeded James Wade or 21st seed Mervyn King. A run to another final looks highly likely.

If he does get to the decider then he could well take on a former world champion. Second seeded Peter Wright is again in good form and should get past Callan Ridz, the only unseeded player left in the tournament. The winner of that faces either Gary Anderson (seeded sixth) or 19th seeded Luke Humphries. An Anderson v Wright semi-final would be an absolute cracker. Health permitting, it still looks likely that Price will win his second world title.

Can Egypt Win the Africa Cup of Nations Again?

The delayed Africa Cup of Nations tournament takes place in Cameroon between January 9 and February 6. The tournament has received publicity in recent days complaining that it's not taken as seriously as a European Championships. Well, the depth in quality seen in the Euros isn't going to be seen in Cameroon. The main moan about this tournament is when it takes place. Teams throughout Europe aren't happy at the fact top African players are going to be absent for a few weeks.

That's the case with Liverpool who will be missing Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita. Meanwhile Manchester City will only be missing Rihyad Mahrez. The chances are that Salah and Mane will be away for a while with both Egypt and Senegal favoured to do well in this tournament. 

Egypt have won this tournament on a record seven occasions, but not since 2010. If Salah can play the way he has this season for Liverpool, then they must have a good chance of success. Algeria (who Mahrez plays for) are the defending champions and Senegal will also be fancied to go deep here. It looks an open tournament but at present, Egypt look a good bet to win the trophy.