Olympic Quarterfinal Preview

The women’s competition at the Beijing Olympics has continued according to form, with the notable exceptions of Ana Ivanovic’s withdrawal and the upset of third seed Svetlana Kuznetsova.

Star-studded quarterfinal matches begin on Thursday including a highly-anticipated meeting between new world number one Jelena Jankovic and French Open finalist Dinara Safina.

Tennis action on the Olympic Green starts at 4:00 pm in Beijing.

(2) Jelena Jankovic vs. (6) Dinara Safina
Jelena Jankovic may be the No. 1 player in the world, but the Serbian will face one of the biggest threats for the title on Thursday, Russia’s Dinara Safina. Safina has played remarkable tennis over the last few months, culminating in a new career high of No. 7.

This will be a tough match for Jankovic, who has been battling a calf injury since the start of the competition. She needs to be prepared to get a lot of balls back against Safina, a player nearly as powerful as Sharapova and the Williams sisters. They faced each other only weeks ago in the semifinals of Los Angeles’ East West Bank Classic. Safina shut down Jankovic, then-ranked at No. 2, in straight sets 7-6(3), 6-1.
Prediction: Dinara Safina

(4) Serena Williams vs. (5) Elena Dementieva
On the seeded list, these two appear to be evenly matched. But statistics are not always a good indicator of skill and experience. Elena Dementieva may hold the edge over Serena in the Olympics department as Serena is playing in her first singles competition, but when it comes to dealing with pressure packed moments, no one does it better than Serena.

Elena Dementieva’s most notable achievement is a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics, a title she hopes to better in Beijing. An upset is not out of the question, but Dementieva must get nearly all her first serves in play to have a chance against Serena’s aggressive forehand.
Prediction: Serena Williams

(7) Venus Williams vs. Na Li
Na Li has enjoyed a Cinderella run to the quarterfinals at her home Olympics, but it might all end on Thursday. Li, the last player from China alive in the singles draw, will have the support of the crowd, but that alone will not propel her past Venus Williams.

Venus skipped the US Open Series after winning Wimbledon and headed into Beijing with a few signs of rust. She has not been seriously pushed in a match, but the Chinese baseliner will be her trickiest opponent yet. Aggression and a solid first serve percentage will be key to a Williams victory, though if Venus starts tentatively, Na Li might be able to push her three sets.
Prediction: Venus Williams

(9) Vera Zvonareva vs. Sybille Bammer
Top seed Ana Ivanovic’s withdrawal on Sunday vastly opened up the top quarter, creating an opening that Zvonareva and Bammer were all too happy to take advantage of in the draw.

Zvonareva has remodeled her game and temperament this season, and gone are the days of her infamous emotional outbursts on court. She has developed into one of the most consistent Russians at the top of the Tour and has yet to drop a set in this event. She kept her cool in two crucial tie-breaks against Shahar Peer and Francesca Schiavone, proving that she has finally reclaimed the confidence that led her to a career-high of No. 9 in 2004.

Left-handed players are always tricky opponents, so this match will not be a walk in the park for Zvonareva. Sybille Bammer continues to play some of her best tennis late in her career, and recently notched a win over then-ranked No. 8 Anna Chakvetadze in Los Angeles.
Prediction: Vera Zvonareva

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