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Women's Classic champion Lindsay Davenport expects to be a genuine threat at the Australian Open.
The former world No 1 saved her best for last in Auckland, crushing unseeded Frenchwoman Aravane Rezai 6-2, 6-2 in less than an hour on Saturday.
Davenport described her display in the ASB
Classic as "pretty solid" and in truth she was seldom pushed to be any better than that in her five matches in Auckland.
Davenport sailed through the tournament, dropping just the one set all week, against fifth seed Anabel Medina Garrigues, in what was a momentary lapse in concentration. Having recovered to crush Garrigues 6-0 in the deciding set of their second round tie, she was never again troubled.
"It has astonished me," Davenport said of a post-child-birth comeback that has now netted three titles in four tournaments.
"I didn't think that my body would bounce back as fast as it did after giving birth. So I am excited now about the Australian Open and seeing what can happen."
Although she has yet to fully test herself against the real big guns, she has done enough to suggest she'll be a genuine threat in Melbourne.
"When you win three of the four tournaments you play and make the semis in the other one, you are definitely a contender out there," she said.
"I definitely see myself as the biggest floater in the draw, with not being seeded. I'm sure no one would be excited to get me in the first round."
Aside from maybe the Williams sisters and world No 1 Justine Henin, Davenport said she wasn't worried about who she might draw.
"A lot of times the best time to knock somebody out is early on before they get their groove on. There are probably about five girls I'd rather not get in the first round."
Although she didn't have a specific goal she would be "excited to get to quarter-finals".
"I don't know about the level of the top few girls but I feel I am better than a lot of the girls out there and would like the opportunity to show that."
She has certainly had the ideal preparation for the first Grand Slam of the year, with a week's practice now to follow her Auckland campaign.
"If I could have mapped out how I wanted to start the year, this would have been it."
If she decides to play next season, Davenport said she would definitely start her year in Auckland again.
