Australian Open 2016: Victoria Azarenka and Belinda Bencic among the contenders

With many of the top women's players battling injuries ahead of the Australian Open, who might take advantage and make a run in Melbourne?

A number of the leading contenders have been carrying problems heading into the tournament, including last year's champion Serena Williams (knee), Maria Sharapova (arm), Petra Kvitova (virus), Garbine Muguruza (foot) and Simona Halep (ankle).

We take a look at five players who could step up and make an impact at the opening major of the year...

Victoria Azarenka

A two-time Australian Open champion, Azarenka looks well placed to challenge for the title again. Ranked 16th in the world, the Belarusian ended her two-and-a-half year title drought with a 6-3 6-1 victory over Angelique Kerber in the final of the recent Brisbane International, losing just 17 games in her five matches.

She also appears to be back to full fitness after a couple of injury-hit seasons. Although she played a fairly full schedule last year, she recently admitted: "I was hurt the whole year actually. There was not a moment where I felt, 'I feel good. I have no pain'. So it didn't feel like this last year. It was a constant battle with pain, with my own fear. 'Is it going to hurt again? I don't want to go through that'."

Having won 35 of her last 39 matches in Australia, Azarenka looks a strong contender in Melbourne.

Agnieszka Radwanska

The Pole has not been without injury troubles of her own ahead of the opening major as she withdrew from the Sydney International with a leg injury. However, the withdrawal appears to have just been precautionary after starting the year with victory in the Shenzhen Open in China. 

"I am feeling very confident in my game at the moment and the results are there," she said. "But after five matches in the past week my leg needs some recovery time."

The 26-year-old has never won a major but heads to Melbourne as one of the in-form players, having won four of the six tournaments she has played since the US Open last September, including the WTA Finals in Singapore. Her victory in Shenzhen means she will be seeded fourth for the Australian Open, which could be important as a potential match-up with Serena Williams, who she has not beaten in eight meetings, would wait until at least the semi-finals.

A five-time quarter-finalist in Melbourne, there is no doubting Radwanska's priorities in 2016. "I am going to do everything in my power to win a major next year," she said after winning in Singapore.

Belinda Bencic

Last year was a memorable one for Bencic as she rose rapidly up the rankings, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open and won the Rogers Cup in Toronto. Now ranked 14th in the world, the 18-year-old Swiss is regarded as one of the brightest prospects on the tour.

She has already proved she can mix it with the best too, beating Serena Williams, Simona Halep and Ana Ivanovic on her way to victory in Toronto.

World No 3 Garbine Muguraza recently said of her: "She has a lot of talent. She's a great player already and it will be interesting to see how she plays this year."

While she was beaten in the first round of the Australian Open last year and lost in the second round in Sydney to qualifier Samantha Crawford, she could take advantage of a potentially open draw in Melbourne.

Karolina Pliskova

After playing a packed schedule last year, Pliskova might be looking for quality rather than quantity in 2016. Her 53 victories in 2015 were tied for the most on tour but at the majors she failed to make it past the third round.

A former junior Australian Open champion, she did not have much of an off-season either as she played in the International Premier Tennis League after helping the Czech Republic win the Fed Cup.

"I don't feel tired, I feel ready for the new year," she said recently. "I just wanted to play. Even if I'm losing, it's just better for me to play matches."

The Czech certainly has the game to make it into at least the second week of majors, backed up by her powerful serve and big shots from the baseline. While it is also high risk, she could be one to keep an eye on if she is on her game.

Caroline Garcia

The 22-year-old might not be a contender for the title in Melbourne, but the Frenchwoman could certainly be one to watch.

Tipped as a future world No1 by Andy Murray in 2011, Garcia has started the year in impressive style, going undefeated in the Hopman Cup with wins over Heather Watson, Sabine Lisicki and eventual champion Daria Gavrilova. 

She also pushed world No 2 Simona Halep close in Sydney before going down in three sets. "Did some teen mistakes!" she tweeted afterwards. "Couldn't stay in the present & forgot the opponent at the end of 3rd set. I still see positive & improvements. Nothing is settled yet but it's encouraging!"

With a big forehand and a decent kick serve in her armoury, Garcia's best performance at a major came in 2015 when she made it to the third round in Melbourne, and she will be hoping to at least match that this year.

We will bring you all the news, views, expert opinion and reaction from the Australian Open.