First Look at the 2008 Beijing Olympics Draw

The Beijing Olympic tennis competition will feature a stellar field of the best players in the world led by 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic.

Two former gold medalists are in the singles draw, Americans Lindsay Davenport and Venus Williams. Throw into the mix nine-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams and you have a formidable Team USA competing for glory in Beijing. However, the United States’ toughest competition will likely come from Serbia, a small country hoping for a monumental victory at the hands of Ivanovic or Jelena Jankovic.

Professional tennis has been dominated by the Russians for the past four years, so it would be wise to keep an eye out for Russia’s quartet of Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva, Dinara Safina, and Vera Zvonareva.

The host nation of China has been preparing for this competition since the Games were awarded to their homeland seven years ago. Jie Zheng’s semifinal finish at Wimbledon breathed new life into the struggling Chinese tennis program, which is eagerly awaiting another impressive performance by its home crowd favorite.

Notable athletes missing in the draw include three-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova, 2006 Australian Open and Wimbledon winner Amelie Mauresmo, and world No. 10 Anna Chakvetadze.

First Look at the Top Eight Olympic Seeds

(1) Ana Ivanovic (First Round: Mariya Koryttseva)
She will no longer be the best tennis player in the world when the competition commences on August 10, but Ana Ivanovic received the benefit of being the top seed as a consolation ranking prize. This spared her from the tougher second half of the draw, which includes Venus Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Dinara Safina. Ivanovic’s first challenge at the Games will likely be in the quarterfinals against eighth seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
Prediction: Semifinals

(2) Jelena Jankovic (First Round: Cara Black)
Monday signals a memorable day in the life of Jelena Jankovic. Not only will her first Olympic competition begin, but she will also assume the No. 1 ranking. Much has been made of Jankovic’s lack of No. 1 credentials, so a victory in Beijing would help silence her critics. It will not be easy for the new world number one, especially if she sets up a quarterfinal meeting with US Open Series winner Dinara Safina. If Jankovic ousts Safina, she might be awarded a semifinal match against Kuznetsova or Venus Williams.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

(3) Svetlana Kuznetsova (First Round: Na Li)
Svetlana Kuznetsova has not managed to win anything noteworthy for four years, so she is theoretically due for a big win. Will it come in Beijing? The competition is played on hard courts and is very similar to the surface at the US Open, which Kuznetsova won in 2004. She has a tricky draw, and will be vulnerable for a first round upset by Chinese hopeful Na Li.
Prediction: First Round

(4) Serena Williams (First Round: Olga Govortsova)
The only thing missing from Serena Williams’ trophy collection is an Olympic singles gold medal. She won the doubles competition with Venus in 2000 at the Atlanta Games, but missed Athens because of a knee injury. Ironically, four years later, a knee injury is threatening her Olympic performance yet again. Serena’s biggest competition is likely to come from her sister Venus, who she could only face in the championship round.
Prediction: Silver Medal

(5) Elena Dementieva (First Round: Kateryna Bondarenko)
A silver medalist at the Sydney Games, Elena Dementieva still dreams of taking her career one step further. While a Grand Slam victory has also remained out of her grasp, a gold medal at the Olympics might be a fraction easier. She is in the weaker top half of the draw, safely away from her countrywomen Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina. Elena could face Daniela Hantuchova in the third round, but the Slovakian star has spent much of 2008 on the injured list because of a stress fracture in her right foot.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

(6) Dinara Safina (First Round: Mara Santangelo)
Dinara Safina has been the hottest player on the Tour this summer and recently captured back-to-back hard court wins in the United States before heading to Beijing. A potential second round meeting with Atlanta gold medalist Lindsay Davenport looms, but given Safina’s form, she would be favored to end Davenport’s comeback dream once and for all.
Prediction: Bronze Medal

(7) Venus Williams (First Round: Timea Bacsinszky)
The last time Venus was spotted on a professional tennis court, she was jubilantly hoisting the Wimbledon trophy. Rest was at the top of Venus’ priority list after winning her fourth Championships title, so it will be interesting to see what her form and fitness looks like after taking an extended summer vacation. Venus will have a chance to burn off any lingering rust during the opening rounds before setting up a potential quarterfinal against Kuznetsova. If she plays anything like the way she did at Wimbledon, Venus will be unstoppable en-route to her second Olympic singles gold medal.
Prediction: Gold Medal

(8) Agnieszka Radwanska (First Round: Yung-Jan Chan)
Radwanska has been playing the best tennis of her career this season and will be a dangerous floater in the draw. Because of Maria Sharapova’s withdrawal, Radwanska is entrenched in Ana Ivanovic’s quarter and has been awarded the eight seeded position. The Polish teenager pushed Ivanovic to three sets at the Australian Open in January and has a solid enough game to upset the top seed in the quarterfinals.
Prediction: Quarterfinals

To view a copy of the 2008 Olympic women’s singles tennis draw, please visit the International Tennis Federation website.