The top seedings remained steady through the first three rounds of action at Roland Garros this week. Only two of the top fifteen seeds, (3) Nadia Petrova and (6) Elena Dementieva, failed to make it into the second week of action.
(1) Amelie Mauresmo vs. (16) Nicole Vaidisova
Any match featuring Mauresmo this week will be filled with drama as she tries to win her home major and complete the next leg of the Grand Slam. She has been playing well and not not dropped a set yet in the tournament. Mauresmo faced Vaidisova last in the round of sixteen at the Australian Open, but Mauresmo cruised past her 6-1, 6-1. The current world number one should have no problem dispatching the Czech teenager in straight sets.
(7) Patty Schnyder vs. (11) Venus Williams
Schnyder may be ranked higher than Williams, but she has never before defeated her in seven attempts. Venus’ game has not been perfect this week, but she should be able to make it past the Swiss in straight sets.
(4) Maria Sharapova vs. (14) Dinara Safina
Maria Sharapova’s participation in Roland Garros was doubtful before the event because of her injured right ankle, but she has survived her first couple of matches, with just one scare in her opening round match. Her fellow Russian Dinara Safina has been having a great season and reached the final of the Internazionali d’Italia a few weeks ago where she lost to Martina Hingis. Sharapova has a 2-1 lead over Safina in career meetings, but Dinara won their last match at the Kremlin Cup last season in three sets. If I had to pick between the two Russians, I would go with Dinara Safina. She is playing much better than Sharapova, plus she is hungry to prove that she can contend with top players.
(8) Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. (9) Francesca Schiavone
Italy’s Francesca Schiavone has been on the verge of cracking the top ten for months, but she has not been able to win the big matches when it matters most. Kuznetsova is one of the hottest players on tour right now and took the ladies title at the Tier I NASDAQ-100 Open in April. She has a 3-2 career record against Schiavone, but Schiavone has won their last two meetings. This match is a little closer to call, but I think Kuznetsova will make it at least to the semifinal round of Roland Garros.
(5) Justine Henin-Hardenne vs. (10) Anastasia Myskina
Henin-Hardenne and Myskina were the only two former Roland Garros champions in the field this season, but Myskina has been in a slump since winning the title in 2004. Henin-Hardenne, on the other hand, is the heavy favorite to take home the trophy next Saturday. With Myskina considering retiring, she may be inspired to make one last run for the title. The chances of her scoring a win over Henin-Hardenne are pretty slim, especially as Justine has a 6-2 lead in their matches.
(13) Anna-Lena Groenefeld vs. (32) Gisele Dulko
Argentine Gisela Dulko has been playing under the radar this week at Roland Garros, and I was surprised to see that she has made it this far. Dulko’s supermodel looks have certainly not hurt her game, but I just do not see her making it past Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenefeld. Groenefeld has never faced Dulko, but should be able to secure a spot in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal.
(12) Martina Hingis vs. (31) Shahar Peer
Martina Hingis has been defeating opponents so fast this week that you would think she had somewhere else to be at after her tennis matches. She has only spent less than three hours on court in singles gameplay, and has had her serve broken only once. Hingis has to be thrilled that Peer knocked out Dementieva and should have another easy win over Peer.
(2) Kim Clijsters vs. (15) Daniela Hantuchova
Clijsters does not enjoy playing on clay and her tentativeness is starting to show on court. She has not dropped a set, but she has struggled in all three of her early rounds. Clijsters committed forty-four unforced errors in her third round match against Anabel Medina Garrigues and had her serve broken four times. Regardless of Clijsters difficulties on court, she should be able to get past Hantuchova easily. She leads the Daniela Hantuchova 7-0 in career meetings.
