2009 Wimbledon: Day Five Preview

Published by Aaress Lawless on Jun 25, 2009 | Print |

The top players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have dominated the courts of SW19 this Championships with nineteen of the top twenty seeds safely into the third round.

Serena Williams returns to play on Friday as she aims to reach her eighth career round of sixteen at Wimbledon.

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The top players on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour have dominated the courts of SW19 this Championships with nineteen of the top twenty seeds safely into the third round.

Serena Williams returns to play on Friday as she aims to reach her eighth career round of sixteen at Wimbledon.

OTB’s Can’t Miss Matches of the Day

Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[8] v. Sorana Cirstea (ROU)[28]
Sorana Cirstea is starting to make noise on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, so this should be a fun match to watch on Centre Court. Keep reading to see why I think Azarenka will win in two sets.

Gisela Dulko (ARG) v. Nadia Petrova (RUS)[10]
Dulko knocked Maria Sharapova out of the tournament in her last match to earn the right to face Sharapova’s countrywoman in the third round. Nadia has been struggling of late with consistency, so Dulko could pick up her second seeded win in a row.

Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)[14] v. Elena Vesnina (RUS)
Cibulkova retired on Thursday with a back injury during doubles, so if she’s not completely over the injury, Vesnina has a good chance of reaching her first round of sixteen at Wimbledon.

Counting Down the Most Intense Players on the WTA Tour

Victoria Azarenka (© PHOTOSPORT.com)

The best women in tennis have not shirked their duties this week at Wimbledon. As only one of the top twenty players in the world lost early at Wimbledon, the last four days has produced dominating tennis. But who has the most intensity of all the players in the draw?

5. Jelena Dokic
Dokic may not be as strong as the other power players on the circuit, but that’s never stopped her from leaving her all on the court. She might not win every match, but it is never from a lack of trying.

4. Dinara Safina
The fierceness of Safina’s game has not been on display as frequently during Wimbledon, but her performance during the first few rounds of Paris made her the most feared player on the grounds.

3. Maria Sharapova
The queen of coolness lasted only for two matches, but Sharapova remains one of the Tour’s most focused competitors. Take a look at her face during a changeover and you’ll never know whether she’s winning or losing.

2. Serena Williams
Unlike Sharapova, Serena’s body language tends to give away the scoreboard, yet that does not make her game any less intense. When Serena’s feeling her shots and playing with confidence, the last place most people want to be on earth is on the other side of the net.

1. Victoria Azarenka
Victoria Azarenka tops the charts of the most intense players, no small thanks to her flare for drama, loud shrieks and a glare that will make you want to shiver. If her game catches up with her intensity level, she’ll be the player to beat someday.

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 three lucky people chosen to win a pair of Drymax tennis socks!

To enter, simply select your pick for the winner of Friday’s match between Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) vs. Ai Sugiyama (JPN). All entries must be received by 7:00 AM ET on Friday. Only one entry per person.

Entry for today has ended.