French Open Tennis Preview: Day Ten

Tennis fans have been talking for ten days about the possibility of an epic match between Justine Henin and Serena Williams, but will this meeting really live up to the hype?

Given her past difficulty on clay, Maria Sharapova’s presence in the quarterfinals was a small surprise. Even more surprising is how open her draw may be for a startling run to the final. She is still three wins away from the title, but as we have seen so many times in the past, anything is possible on clay.

Tuesday’s action at the French Open will include all four quarterfinal matches between Svetlana Kuznetsova and Ana Ivanovic, Justine Henin and Serena Williams, Jelena Jankovic and Nicole Vaidisova, and Maria Sharapova and Anna Chakvetadze.

Quarterfinal Matches for Tuesday, June 5

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

(3) Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. (7) Ana Ivanovic
Ana Ivanovic has played a few tough matches to get to this point in Paris, but she has not run into a player as comfortable moving on clay as Kuznetsova. One of the best parts of Kuznetsova’s game is her movement and unlike moves players, she moves with ease and speed on clay. Beating Svetlana on one of her best surfaces won’t be easy for the young Serbian, but at least she is headed into the match with confidence knowing that she defeated her in three sets for the title in Berlin last month.
My Pick: Svetlana heads into the semifinals with a two sets win.

(1) Justine Henin vs. Serena Williams
This match has been hyped up for ten days, but now that it is actually here, you have to wonder if it will live up to its hype. The last time they met looked like it would be an easy win for Justine once she bageled Serena in the first set, but she came back to win the match in three. Part of the blame for that lies in Justine’s hands and you can only imagine the talking-to the highly competitive Henin gave to herself after blowing that lead.

Consistency will be crucial for Justine tomorrow, especially if she wins the opening set. She has had trouble closing out her matches in the past couple of rounds and she can’t take a chance with letting Serena back into the match. Aggression and passion will be on Serena’s side, but the stoic three-time champion is an unflappable opponent and will not be easily intimidated.
My Pick: Serena puts up a fight, but Justine keeps her hopes for a fourth title alive.

(3) Jelena Jankovic vs. Nicole Vaidisova
Jelena Jankovic has come so far in the past twelve months that you could almost say that she is a completely different player. Her confidence is at an all-time high, she moves on clay almost as well as Justine Henin, and her backhand up the line continues to give her opponents fits. For Vaidisova, the big key will be maintaining her nerves and staying focused. If she can concentrate, go for her shots, but not overdo it, she’ll be able to push Jankovic for a spot in the semifinals. However, both players are prone to fade mentally out of big matches, but the seventeen-year old is especially vulnerable to beating herself up on court.
My Pick: Jelena Jankovic joins Justine Henin in the semifinals for their fourth meeting this season.

(2) Maria Sharapova vs. (9) Anna Chakvetadze
For the first time in a very long time, Maria Sharapova managed to somewhat clean up her serve. She still was broken nine times, but at least she only posted three double faults. Anna Chakvetadze has often been compared to being this generation’s version of Martina Hingis and unlike Sharapova, she has a variety of weapons to choose from besides her serve. When Sharapova’s serve goes, the former world number one does not have much left to choose from, so serving will be crucial for her to reach her first French Open final.
My Pick: Maria Sharapova struggles, but reaches the semifinals.

Justine Says

About a rematch with Serena Williams:
“I don’t want to see a rematch of Key Biscayne. No, I hope it’s going to be a good match. It’s been a good match in Miami, and I should have won this match at that time. I was so close and I was leading completely the match and I was a better player on the court. But she came back.

Mentally she’s been very strong. Maybe I was a little bit scared to win that one, and the best won the match and she just kept fighting. That’s why she’s a champion. It’s never over. And this match is different. It’s different surface. It’s different situation. And, yeah, we will see. We will have to give everything and to be at our best level to show good tennis. And the best player will win.”

On whether she is still having difficulties in her relationship with her family:
“No, I confirmed a few — I think two weeks ago that I have contacts again with my family and that includes my father and my brothers and my little sister. But I just want to keep it private. It’s a lot of joy. I’m very happy about that. But that’s it.”

About if she has talked to Serena about their controversial quarterfinal in 2003:
“No, we never talked about what happened in 2003, because, well, that’s the way it is. We each have our own career. We live our own lives. And I think things have calmed down. In Miami, we had great respect for one another. We fought like tigers, both of us, and in Miami there was great respect on both sides. And that’s it. I think it’s no use trying to revive an old story. That was four years ago.”

What’s Happening in Paris

Match of the Day
Justine Henin and Serena Williams are the featured match of the day at the Roland Garros website.

Jonathan Eysseric and Michelle Larcher de Brito blog from Paris
Michelle Larcher de Brito is live blogging for the ITF Tennis website during the junior competition.

ITF to honour McEnroe, Federer and Henin
The ITF will be honoring World Champion Justine Henin on Tuesday.

USA Television Listings for Tuesday

Women’s QF - TTC - 6:00 am to 12:00 pm (LIVE)
Men’s & Women’s QF - ESPN2 - 12:00 pm to 6:30 pm

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