OFF: Who Will Qualify for the Season-Ending Championships?
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Oct 12, 2007 | Print |
It’s going down to the wire for the remaining four berths into the season-ending Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Championships.
Four women - Justine Henin, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Jelena Jankovic, and Ana Ivanovic - have already booked their tickets into Madrid, with four more players anxiously awaiting their chance to join the field.
Today’s Open Forum Friday question is on which players you think will reach Madrid.
Who do you think will make the singles draw?”
You know the field is wide, diverse, and extremely deep when three recent Grand Slam champions are still trying to qualify three weeks before the tournament’s start. Rising star Anna Chakvetadze, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and Maria Sharapova are the frontrunners, but Daniela Hantuchova, Marion Bartoli, and Nadia Petrova still have an outside chance of completing the roster.
As for Venus and Serena - I’d look for them both to qualify. Venus has been hopping all across Asia raking up points - smaller amounts because they are Tier III’s and IV’s - but points are still points. Serena, on the other hand, deserves to be commended for her ambitious fall schedule, including Stuttgart, this week’s Kremlin Cup in Moscow, plus she is still on the roster for next week’s Zurich Open.
Chakvetadze shot herself in the foot yesterday when she lost early in the Kremlin Cup, especially with both Williams sisters still alive in Bangkok and Moscow. She has enough of a lead over #9 Daniela Hantuchova that she probably will still make it in, but a solid finish at Zurich would give her a little more of a cushion.
The big ringer is Maria Sharapova. It’s hard to imagine that the Tour’s poster girl won’t qualify, but anything can happen in four weeks. Her confidence is shot, her shoulder has been bothering her for ten months, and she knows that if she does qualify, it will be by the skin of her teeth. Her original plan was to play one warm-up for the necessary points to qualify and then show up in Madrid, rested and ready to compete.
Rather than waltzing through Moscow’s draw, Sharapova tumbled out in her first match. Now, instead of resting her arm in LA or Bradenton for the next couple of weeks, she is scheduled to compete at not only the Zurich Open, but also the Generali Ladies in Linz.
In the hope springs eternal department, we have Daniela Hantuchova, Marion Bartoli, and Nadia Petrova. One of them could qualify if Sharapova fails to deliver in Zurich or Linz. Realistically, I’d look for Hantuchova and Bartoli to still go to Madrid - as alternates. Regardless of the fact that Petrova is occasionally more consistent than Bartoli, Petrova has not entered Zurich - the final Tier I.
If you want to see a good look at the numbers and who stands the best chance of qualifying, check out this analysis by tennis statistician extraordinaire Robert Waltz and Kamakshi Tandon.
As for me, I’m expecting to see Venus and Serena Williams, Anna Chakvetadze - and yes, Maria Sharapova head to Madrid for the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships.
How about you? Who do you think will be the final four into the Championships?
Have a great weekend everyone!
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Percy Kgosidialwa | Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Serena, Sharapova, Venus and Chakvetadze
Jim Morris | Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Sharapova shoud not be playing with that injury. Remember how long Venus was out for? And look at what she has done since then. So no Sharapova at YEC.
I think Hantuchova, Chakvetadze, Venus & Serena
Venusfan | Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
I think Venus Serena Anna and Maria. If so that would be the best lineup in years. 8 top quality players, with no Schnyder, Dementieva or Petrova to make up the numbers, like in recent years.
Diane | Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
I wasn’t aware of that special rule until I read that article. Interesting. I hope it isn’t enforced.
I believe Chakvetadze will still squeeze in, but I’m not so sure about Sharapova.
Aaress | Oct 13, 2007 | Reply
Diane, it will certainly get interesting if Sharapova puts in a bad showing at Zurich.
Sharapova’s situation is not an extraordinary circumstance, plus she did not win a Grand Slam this year. To date, she has won only one tournament this year, and apart from getting the No. 1 ranking when Justine skipped Australia, she has had a below average season.
Daniela Hantuchova has played her heart out this year and it would be a shame to see her go to Madrid as an alternate if she has the points to beat Maria.
Maria’s draw at Zurich won’t be a cakewalk and I would not be surprised to see her lose in the second round to Golovin. Still, I think Sharapova will make it in on her own merit.