Main Draw Preview: 2007 Bank of the West Classic

Marking the start of the US Open Series, the 2007 Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California kicks off on Monday.

Unfortunately, the USOS is not the only thing beginning today; the official beginning of the US Open road trip also hails the start of the withdrawal season.

With many of the top players on extended vacations trying to recover from Roland Garros and Wimbledon, the fields at the top American summer events often take the brunt of the pull-outs. This week Stanford lost its main draw card, Serena Williams, because of a lingering thumb injury sustained at Wimbledon.

Current world number seven Anna Chakvetadze is the top seed at the Tier II tournament, followed by 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli.

A Quick Look at the Draw

First Quarter
With Anna Chakvetadze as the highest ranked player in the draw, the tournament is hopeful that the young Russian will still make the trip to Stanford after winning the title at the Western and Southern Financial Women’s Open in Cincinnati on Sunday. Fortunately for the new champion, she won’t have to play her first match until later in the week. Should Chakvetadze remain in the draw, she could possibly face Katarina Srebotnik or Olga Poutchkova in the quarterfinals.

Second Quarter
Other than winning the Tier I Pacific Life Open title this spring, Daniela Hantuchova has not made much of a splash on Tour this season. With most of the top players absent from the field, she now has a decent chance of making a solid run at Stanford. However, Shahar Peer could possibly be a difficult foe for her in the quarterfinals, especially with the Israeli still riding high after leading Israel to the World Group for the first time in Fed Cup.

Third Quarter
Patty Schnyder is stuck in a slump and the clock is ticking for the Swiss veteran if she wants to avoid ending 2007 as one of her worst seasons in years. Like all of the other top seeds, she has a first round bye, but her quarter of the draw is full of dangerous floaters. If Julia Vakulenko can play a match without injuring some part of her body, she may be able to score the upset and oust Schnyder in the second round. Should Schnyder get past Vakulenko, she may face the recently resurgent Sania Mirza or Tatiana Golovin in the quarterfinals.

Bottom Quarter
Can Marion Bartoli back up her Wimbledon finish with her first title of the season? Top seed Anna Chakvetadze will probably start feeling the strain of competing at Fed Cup and last week at Cincinnati soon, leaving Bartoli as the favorite for the title. The only glitch in Bartoli’s plans may be the presence of Sybille Bammer at the top of the quarter. Bammer knocked out the Wimbledon finalist at the Bank of the West Classic last season in the round of thirty-two.