French Open Tennis Preview: Day Four

The skies finally parted over Paris on Tuesday, setting the atmosphere for a great day of tennis. After having two days of action delayed because of the rain, Roland Garros at last was able to put in a full day of play.

The tournament is still a bit behind, but that only adds to the thrill ticket-holders will have on Wednesday. Wednesday’s schedule is packed with stars, including Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, France’s own Amelie Mauresmo, and Venus and Serena Williams.

If you are not fortunate enough to be at the French Open, you can still follow most of the action online with Radio Roland Garros or Tennis Channel.

Key Matches for Wednesday, May 30

(See the Roland Garros schedule for the complete order of play)

(2) Maria Sharapova vs. Emilie Loit
The last time I saw Maria Sharapova, I started to wonder if Maria had more things in common with Elena Dementieva than her hair color. Her first round matches are not always a walk through the park, but Sharapova at least has the knowledge that she dealt Loit a crushing breadstick in their last meeting. Whether she has managed to get rid of the yips on her serve remains to be seen, however the bigger question is how well her hamstring injury will hold out on clay.
My Pick: Maria Sharapova remembers how much she dislikes playing on clay, but still manages to slide through to the second round.

(3) Amelie Mauresmo vs. Laura Granville
Enter Amelie Mauresmo. Enter pressure and unrealized expectations. Mauresmo’s fans are still hoping, but as the years go by, it gets even harder to dream that one day, somehow, she’ll play her way to her home Grand Slam title.

The pressure may actually be a little less this year, thanks to her recent bout with appendicitis, but even though she is in the weaker half of the draw, the extended forecast still looks stormy for the former number one as the second week approaches. Fortunately for Mauresmo, she should have an easy opening win. A few years ago Laura Granville might have been able to push her around a little bit, but I seriously doubt that this one will go to three sets.
My Pick: Amelie Mauresmo grabs a comfortable straight sets win, giving her fans a much needed shot of confidence.

(8) Serena Williams vs. Milagros Sequera
Milagros Sequera is having one of the best seasons of her career, but after getting a dose of reality in her first round match, I’d expect Serena Williams to come out barnstorming on Wednesday. Serena takes her responsibility to boost American tennis personally and with the thought of her being one of only two top Americans left in both sides of the draw, she’ll do her best to keep Old Glory waving for at least another round.
My Pick: Serena Williams kicks her performance up a notch and cruises into the third round.

(26) Venus Williams vs. Ashley Harkleroad
Venus Williams had a little trouble shutting down Alize Cornet in her first round match, but still powered her way through in two sets. It was not her most brilliant performance, but if she can keep her serve percentage up and her unforced errors down, I’d look for her to set up a third round meeting with Jelena Jankovic.
My Pick: The Battle of the Americans ends with an easy victory for Venus.

(1) Justine Henin vs. Tamira Paszek
Seventeen year-old Tamira Paszek pushed Justine to three sets earlier this year in Dubai and I venture that the world number one has not yet forgotten how close (two games) she came to losing to a player outside of the top 120. Justine’s first round match was not perfect, but she still grabbed her thirty-second French Open win. I’d expect that Justine will have recovered from her opening round jitters and is ready to continue her pursuit of a fourth Roland Garros title.
My Pick: Justine settles into a routine and grabs a straight sets win.

Jelena Says

On the pressure of being a title contender:
“It doesn’t really bother me. I’m just enjoying myself. I just want to try to give my maximum every time I step on the court, and that’s all I care about.”

About Serbia’s rise in tennis:
“It’s really amazing how we have all of a sudden three top 10 players in the world. And I’m really proud of that, and hopefully we’ll continue to improve and become better and better.”

On her trademark good humor:
“I like to enjoy and I like to make jokes, especially with my team. We all have good sense of humor. It helps to stay positive and to work hard and to work with a smile.”

What’s Happening in Paris

Tennis is a better game for having had Clijsters
Even though she never was a big fan of playing on clay, Kim Clijsters’ presence is missed at Roland Garros.

French Open players watch themselves on DVD
Thanks to IBM, players can get copies of their matches on DVD.

Women’s Doubles
The draw for the women’s doubles event has been announced.

USA Television Listings for Wednesday

Second Round - TTC - 5:00 am to 12:00 pm (LIVE)
Early Rounds - ESPN2 - 12:00 pm to 6:30 pm

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