One day after her sister Venus was dispatched early in the third round, Serena Williams will return to the court in Paris with hopes of avoiding a similar fate.
The second seed leads the bottom half of the draw in contention on Saturday in Paris, along with Elena Dementieva and Jelena Jankovic.
OTB’s Can’t Miss Match of the Day
Samantha Stosur (AUS)[30] v. Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4]
Elena Dementieva played an inconsistent match against Jelena Dokic on Thursday, which sadly ended in a retirement by Dokic. Obviously, we don’t know how the match would have ended if Dokic’s back had not gone out, but at the time of the injury Dokic had a set in hand and was well on her way to winning the match in straight sets.
Hopefully, her near loss prompted Dementieva to spend extra time on the practice court and work some of the chinks out of her serve. Prior to Roland Garros Dementieva had been serving rather well, so seeing thirteen doubles faults in two matches is not an encouraging sign.
This might give a big opportunity to Australia’s Samantha Stosur. Before contracting Lyme’s disease, Stosur was rapidly developing into her own as a singles player. It has taken her a while to return to her old form, but Stosur has had several promising results in 2009, including a big win over Dinara Safina in Miami.
Not surprisingly, Stosur has excellent hands at the net, a solid serve and a big enough game to threaten Dementieva. If Elena starts her third match just as flat as her match against Dokic, another upset might be in the making.
Prediction: Elena Dementieva in 3 sets
Sania Mirza has achieved celebrity status in her native India. (© PHOTOSPORT.COM)
Match Made in Hyderabad
Sania Mirza has not been winning too many matches at love on the tennis court recently, but off-court her love life is thriving.
Mirza’s father Imram has announced the Indian tennis star’s engagement to a family friend from Mirza’s hometown of Hyderabad.
“This is to confirm that Sania Mirza is engaged to Mr. Muhammad Sohrab Mirza, whose family hails from the city of Hyderabad. Although not related, the two families have had friendly ties for several decades,” said her father in statements published by the Indian press. “However, the wedding is not expected to take place for a while.”
Crepes are a staple of French cuisine. (©iStockPhoto.com/Peter Bates)
C’est Bon! Crêpes Give a Taste of Roland Garros
If you’re waking up early this weekend to watch the French Open, why not add a little bit of French cuisine to your morning? Crêpes are one of the oldest and most well known dishes from France, and eating them can actually make you feel like you’re sitting courtside at the French Open. So break out your mixing bowl…and get ready to experience a taste of Roland Garros!
There are two varieties of crêpes: sweet (crêpes sucrées) and savory (crêpes salées).
The list of fillings is virtually endless. Making crêpes does take a bit of practice, but the first one usually gets tossed out anyway.
Basic Crêpe Recipe*
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/3 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted, plus 2 or 3 teaspoons butter for coating the pan
*Sweet Crêpe Variety: Add 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla
*Savory Crêpe Variety: Add 1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Combine eggs, milk, water, flour, and butter in a bowl and mix well in blender or hand mixer. Add additional ingredients for sweet or savory crêpes. Consistency of the batter should be thin.
2. Cover and refrigerate batter for at least 1 hour.
3. Use an 8-inch nonstick fry pan, or a 9-10-inch pan for larger crepes.
4. Lightly coat the pan with butter and place over medium-high heat. (Cooking spray works too).
5. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the crêpe batter into the pan, then quickly tilt the pan so the batter swirls around evenly, coating the entire bottom of the pan.
6. Cook until lightly brown (or until you start to see the batter bubbling), approximately 30-45 seconds.
7. With a spatula, flip the crêpe to the other side, and cook another 15 seconds.
8. Transfer the crêpe to a plate.
9. Fill crêpe with desired fillings. You can fold the crêpe in half (twice) or you can roll it.
Repeat with remaining batter.
Makes sixteen to eighteen 6 or 7-inch crêpes, or ten to twelve 9 or 10-inch crêpes.
Fillings: (You can be creative here)
Sweet: jam, strawberries, chocolate, Nutella, bananas, blueberries
Savory: ham, cheese, bacon, eggs, diced potatoes, mushrooms
Bon appétit!
– Paula Vergara
Enter OTB’s Pick the Winner’s Contest
How well do you know tennis? Do you think you can pick the winner of Saturday’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 Saturday’s match (originally begun on Friday) between No. 9 Victoria Azarenka and No. 22 Carla Suarez Navarro. If you entered your pick on Friday’s preview, please don’t resubmit it.. All entries for Saturday 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 has ended.
