Wimbledon Round of Sixteen Preview

The second week of play at the 2008 Championships at Wimbledon starts on Monday with the round of sixteen.

A full day of tennis is scheduled for the second Monday of the tournament, including three matches for Venus and Serena Williams on Court No. 2—also known as the Graveyard of Champions. Shortly after their singles matches, Venus and Serena will return to the same court to play doubles.

(2) Jelena Jankovic vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn
Two weeks ago, Tamarine Tanasugarn would have sounded like an unlikely player in the fourth round of a Grand Slam. But since winning the Ordina Open, the Thai veteran is playing some of the best tennis of her career. At thirty-one years of age, Tanasugarn is just one match away from her best run at a major–if she can get past Jankovic.

Jelena Jankovic is beginning to remind me of Kim Clijsters because of their joint propensity to injury and struggles at majors. I do believe that Jankovic has an opportunity to win the title, but the big question is whether she can stay healthy enough to win four more matches.
Jelena Jankovic in 3 sets

(4) Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. (14) Agnieszka Radwanska
On paper, Kuznetsova should win this match, but that was also the same thing that should have happened in their last meeting at a major. Radwanska booted Kuznetsova out of the Australian Open in January, although this time, it is safe to assume that Svetlana will be a little more wary of the Polish teenager’s crafty game.
Svetlana Kuznetsova in 3 sets

(5) Elena Dementieva vs. (24) Shahar Peer
Peer has been stuck in a slump for most of 2008, so this is a good sign to see her back in the fourth round of a major. The Israeli has a solid serve and baseline game, but her biggest weakness is her temperament. She can be somewhat of a hothead on court, which could give her trouble against Dementieva, one of the Tour’s most patient players.
Elena Dementieva in 3 sets

(6) Serena Williams vs. Bethanie Mattek
I’m not superstitious, but even I have to admit that it is a bad stroke of luck when the remaining two former Wimbledon champions both get scheduled for the Graveyard court on the same day. Serena admitted a few days ago after her last match on Court No. 2 that the thought of an upset crossed her mind, so it is safe to presume that she will look to get off the court quickly on Monday.

Bethanie Mattek struggles with consistency and this could be her downfall against Serena. Serena has been streaky over the past three rounds, so I expect Mattek to win a few games, yet she does not have enough variety and power to stop Serena for good.
Serena Williams in 2 sets

(7) Venus Williams vs. Alisa Kleybanova
Next up on the Graveyard of Champions is last year’s winner Venus Williams. Fans holding tickets for Court No. 2 are in for a rare treat, although they may be unfamiliar with Venus’ opponent. Alisa Kleybanova of Russia is making her debut at the Championships and has already scored wins over Tzipora Obziler, Daniela Hantuchova, and Ai Sugiyama.

Kleybanova considers grass one of her favorite surfaces, but she must play the match of her life if she wants to beat Venus, who set a new Wimbledon women’s record for the fastest serve (127 mph) in her third round match.
Venus Williams in 2 sets

(8) Anna Chakvetadze vs. (18) Nicole Vaidisova
This will be a loud match–and I’m not referring to the crowd. Anna Chakvetadze and Nicole Vaidisova are two of the most emotional players inside the top 50, so fans will hear outbursts in Russian, German, Czech, and probably a little English. Expect the winner to be the woman who beats herself up the least.
Anna Chakvetadze in 3 sets

(15) Agnes Szavay vs. Jie Zheng
Agnes Szavay was one of the best stories during the fall of 2007, but so far in 2008, her performance has only been average. Her third round match against Anabel Medina Garrigues was hampered by thirty-one unforced errors and eight double-faults, while Jie Zheng’s play against Ana Ivanovic was near-perfect textbook tennis.
Jie Zheng in 3 sets

(21) Nadia Petrova vs. Alla Kudryavtseva
After watching Nadia Petrova fall from No. 5 to almost outside the Top 30, it is good to see her back in contention at a major. One of the best players never to win a Slam, Nadia Petrova is surprisingly wearing Venus Williams’ EleVen line at Wimbledon.

Alla Kudryavtseva is still cruising after her second round win over Maria Sharapova, so this is a winnable match for the talkative Russian. She won several new fans after that victory—and made a few enemies because of her post-match comments about Maria’s personality and tuxedo outfit.
Nadia Petrova in 2 sets

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