After one week of competition, the women’s draw at the 2009 Wimbledon Championships has been narrowed down to just sixteen players.
Leading the charge into the second week of play is world No. Dinara Safina, followed by Serena and Venus Williams.
Prior to 2009, Safina had never been past the third round. (© PHOTOSPORT.COM)
Even if she loses in the fourth round, world number one Dinara Safina can exit the draw with her head held high. She has not won the title yet, but she has reached the round of sixteen for the first time in her career. From here on out, it is all brand-new territory for the top seed.
Not so for her opponent on Monday. Amelie Mauresmo knows what winning Wimbledon feels like, and would love to take home her second crown. Safina’s vulnerability was displayed often over the past week, so Mauresmo might find a real opening into the match.
Prediction: Dinara Safina in three sets
Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) v. Serena Williams (USA)[2]
Monday marks Daniela and Serena’s third encounter on grass and Serena can take comfort in knowing that she walked away with both previous wins. Her last match against Daniela in 2007 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club was an unforgettable display of drama, passion, and sadly for Hantuchova, choking.
At 5-all in the second set, Serena collapsed onto the court with cramping in her left calf. Given a slight reprieve and a chance to recover by an opportune rain delay, Serena recovered to win the match after Hantuchova mentally choked the deciding set 6-2.
Since then, Hantuchova’s worked hard to become a more consistent player, so it will be interesting to see whether she can stay positive and focused.
Prediction: Serena Williams in two sets
Venus Williams (USA)[3] v. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)[13]
Ivanovic has been sailing under the radar this year and after her poor performance in Paris, without much pressure. After having such a disappointing start to the year, no one expects her to upset Venus in the fourth round, but that might be the incentive Ivanovic needs to rebound her career.
Venus has looked impressive over the past seven days, but if she does not play aggressively from the start, Ivanovic could seize the momentum. Ana’s much more relaxed this year at the Championships, no small part thanks to her recent reunion with adidas coach Sven Groenefeld.
Prediction: Venus Williams in three sets
Elena Vesnina (RUS) v. Elena Dementieva (RUS)[4]
Not surprisingly, four Russians made the second week of the tournament. We’ve grown accustomed to seeing ‘ovas, ‘ievas, and ‘inas in the latter stages of majors, and this year at Wimbledon, the Russians have continued to impress.
The most dominant nation in tennis is guaranteed to have at least one representative in the quarterfinals named Elena. Which one will it be? I’m inclined to choose the safe pick, Dementieva, as at this stage in a Grand Slam, experience counts for more points than a solid first serve.
Prediction: Elena Dementieva in two sets
Victoria Azarenka (BLR)[8] v. Nadia Petrova (RUS)[10]
Azarenka is quickly developing into one of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s most consistent players. She has reached the third round or better at nine-straight Grand Slams and to-date has won three titles in 2009, including the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami.
Nadia Petrova has not enjoyed much success at Wimbledon over the years with her best result being the quarterfinals in 2005 and 2008. On the way to the final eight last season, Petrova beat Azarenka in two tiebreaks. Expect this year’s encounter to be just as close.
Prediction: Victoria Azarenka in 3 sets
Caroline Wozniacki (DEN)[9] v. Sabine Lisicki (GER)
Sabine Lisicki continues to play the best tennis of her career and this is certainly a winnable match for the young German. For Wozniacki, this match takes on extra weight as she lost the final at the Family Circle Cup to Lisicki only three months ago in Charleston.
That was on clay, and although Caroline is comfortable on grass, so is Lisicki. Sabine is facing less pressure than the ninth seed and knows that if she can beat Wozniacki once, twice isn’t an insurmountable goal.
Prediction: Sabine Lisicki in two sets
Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)[11] v. Melanie Oudin (USA)
Oudin (pronounced oo-DAN) has been the story of the Championships thus far as she entered as a qualifier, played her way into the main draw, and now sits on the verge of reaching the quarterfinals in her first Wimbledon appearance.
Agnieszka Radwanska will be feeling the pressure in this match, especially if she saw how adroitly Oudin dismantled Jelena Jankovic’s game on Saturday.
Prediction: Melanie Oudin in two sets
Virginie Razzano (FRA)[26] v. Francesca Schiavone (ITA)
It is excellent to see two veteran journeywomen reach the fourth round of Wimbledon in the twilight of their careers. For both Schiavone and Razzano, a spot in the round of sixteen has been a long time coming.
These women are far more comfortable on clay than grass, so this could turn into a clay-court style match with long rallies from the baseline.
Prediction: Virginie Razzano in three sets
Enter OTB’s Pick the Winner’s Contest
How well do you know tennis? Do you think you can pick the winner of Monday’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 Monday’s match between Venus Williams (USA)[3] v. Ana Ivanovic (SRB)[13]. All entries must be received by 7:00 AM ET on Monday. Only one entry per person.
Entry has ended for today.
NBC, ESPN2 and ESPN360.com Schedule for Monday
All times are Eastern
Round of 16 – ESPN2 – 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM (LIVE)
Day 8 Coverage – ESPN360.com – 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM (Watch Live Online)
Round of 16 Coverage – NBC – 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM (LIVE and Taped)
Round of 16 – ESPN2 – 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM (LIVE)*
* – Alternate programming from 1 – 4 p.m. ET in Pacific Time Zone (10 a.m. – 1 p.m. PT)
Don’t see how Ana plans on sneaking a set… “best tennis of her career” she says she’s playing. I don’t think so…
I think Oudin is definitely the Zheng Jie of this year’s Wimbledon. Both beat a seed in the first round (Oudin beat the 29th, Zheng the 30th), played against an unseeded opponent in the second, and then dismantled a top contender in the third. But I think this is where the similarities will end. Oudin vs Radwanska could go either way, but really, all of Oudin’s next matches will come down to fitness. Including doubles, Oudin has played a total of eight matches, 5 of which were three-setters. Unfortunately for her, I predict that this will soon catch up with her – Radwanska must be exhausted too, after her second round marathon against Peng, so Oudin stands a chance, but afterwards I’m guessing her dream run come to an end. However, I would love for her to prove me wrong. Best of luck to her!
Speaking of Zheng Jie, this is precisely who Hantuchova beat in the 2nd round, in two sets, then following this up with a defeat of her doubles partner. It’s no secret that I’d love for DaniHani to beat Serena, but it’s also no secret that her mental toughness often becomes of issue. This year, though, I think she’s perfectly placed for a series of upsets: no seeding, outside the top 30, and has slipped under the radar this tournament. I hope she can continue this form, and beat Serena. I think it will come down to nerves, crowd participation and the day, because I really believe that Hantuchova has the game to beat almost anyone on tour.
I saw Sabine Lisicki’s match against Kuznetsova on television yesterday, and I thought she was amazing! She did, however, have some trouble finishing. Anyway, after this, her confidence should be sky-high! If she can maintain this form, Wozniacki will have a difficult job – I think whoever wins this match could be a dark horse finalist.
As for the other matches, I think the winners will be: Safina in three sets, and Razzano, Azarenka, Venus and Dementieva all in two. Any which way, this is shaping up to be a great second week!