Now that the Roland Garros women’s field has reached the third round, fans are starting to see several thrilling match-ups in the draw.
One welcome surprise has been the fact that all Top 10 seeds are still alive and competing for berths in the round of sixteen.
OTB’s Can’t Miss Match of the Day
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (© PHOTOSPORT.COM)
One of Friday’s best matches could be between top seed Dinara Safina and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. Pavlyuchenkova swept into the public spotlight after ousting second seed Jelena Jankovic along the way to the semifinals at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells last month.
Clay is Pavlyuchenkova’s favorite surface and if she wants to beat her older countrywoman, the seventeen year-old will have to mix up her shots, hit with aggression and dictate from the start of the match. Safina could not have had a better start to her French Open campaign and has dropped only two games in as many matches.
Prediction: Dinara Safina in 2 sets
A Blast From the Past
Ten years ago, Steffi Graf and Martina Hingis played a memorable women’s singles final at Roland Garros. Graf’s 1999 triumph in Paris turned out to be her final major title. Watch the video to see Graf’s sixth French Open victory, as well as Hingis’s infamous underhanded serve and post-match breakdown.
It Takes One to Know One
Maria Sharapova, the winner of three major titles, could have what it takes to dominate professional tennis, says Henin. (© PHOTOSPORT.COM)
“With the respect I have for all these players, it’s true that it’s hard apparently in the women’s game now to really find a boss and someone that is at the top and that wins a lot of tournaments,” said Henin from Paris.
“I think the tour needs someone, a leader. We don’t find this leader for now, but there is a lot of confidence. There are young players who are going to come on the tour and push the older ones.”
As for whom she believes could fill the void at the top and bring a sense of leadership, Henin gave Maria Sharapova the nod.
“It all depends on what she can do to get back to her best level,” Henin added. “She has proven that she can make it. She has the mental ability, physical ability to make it happen. Maybe she’ll take the lead pretty soon – this is what we need at the moment.”
Enter OTB’s Pick the Winner’s Contest
How well do you know tennis? Do you think you can pick the winner of Friday’s featured match? Guess correctly and you might be one of the five lucky people chosen to win a free live streaming tournament pass from TennisTV.com!
To enter, simply select your pick for the winner of Friday’s match between No. 9 Victoria Azarenka and No. 22 Carla Suarez Navarro. All entries for Friday must be received by start of play (11 AM in Paris or 5:00 AM ET in USA). Only one entry per person.
Entry for today’s match is over.
