French Open 2010 preview - The Ladies
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 20 May 2010 - 09:33
Author: Jo Mcguigan
The latest WTA rankings show that the Williams sisters are back on top. But injury niggles along with threats from old heads and fearless newcomers mean that translating their dominance into an all-sister final in Paris is far from guaranteed.
Venus has never won on the terre battue, and Serena has just one victory there, in 2002, so the all-conquering Americans won’t be short on motivation. However Serena has missed nearly three months of play following her victory in Melbourne, and risks being short of matches on the clay. Will it be big sister Venus who peaks at the right time? Or will the two be swept aside by one of the challengers that lurks below? Sport.co.uk takes a closer look at the likely ladies for Roland Garros 2010.
The sister act
Serena Williams. She won the year’s first Grand Slam, seeing off a challenge from the resurgent Justine Henin. And she is one of few current players who have tasted success in Paris. But her troublesome knee has kept her out of action for much of the year, and her usually unshakeable confidence will have been dented by losses to Jankovic in Rome and Petrova in Madrid. Roland Garros may come just a little too soon for Serena to go all the way.
Venus Williams. After a relatively quiet Australian Open, Venus went on a 15-match winning-streak that saw her take the Dubai and Acapulco titles before losing out in the Miami final to Kim Clijsters. A quarter-final in Rome and a final loss to Aravane Rezai in Madrid will ensure that she is fully honed for the red earth in Paris. With Clijsters out injured and sister Serena slightly undercooked for the clay, this might be Venus’ best chance yet to take the French title.
The clay court genius
Justine Henin. After her dream return to the tour with a runners-up trophy at Melbourne, few would have bet against Henin resuming normal service with another title in Paris. But since January she hasn’t quite set the tour alight in the way some expected and a freak hand injury has meant limited play on the clay. Her victory in Stuttgart saw her come through against a quality field, but her early exit to Rezai in Madrid will have raised eyebrows. Henin remains the stand-out clay-court player in the ladies game. She knows better than anyone how to win at Roland Garros. But if she is to win this year she will have to do it the hard way, battling through from low down the seedings.
The experienced heads
Jelena Jankovic. After a couple of seasons in the wilderness, former world number one Jankovic has fought her way back to four in the latest rankings. Victory on the hard courts at Indian Wells was followed by an impressive run to the final in Rome, taking out both Venus and Serena en route before finally falling to Maria Martinez Sanchez. Madrid highlighted the traditional question mark over her game, where her steady play was blown away by the all-firing Rezai. The experienced Serb is yet to break her Grand Slam duck – if she manages to build some momentum in Paris then she may go far this year.
Sam Stosur. The determined Australian has been nothing if not consistent this season, making the quarter-final or better at her last five tournaments. Along the way she has picked up a title in Charleston and lost out to Henin in the Stuttgart final. Following a long period of time out through illness and injury, Stosur looks fitter than ever in 2010 and has climbed to seven in the rankings. She is more than ready to make her big breakthrough and will be hoping to do some damage at Roland Garros.
The home threat
Aravane Rezai. The player arriving in Paris with the most momentum is a 23-year-old from St Etienne. The 5ft 5in powerhouse was unstoppable in Madrid, defeating Henin, Jankovic and an in-form Venus Williams on her way to the title. When her groundstrokes are firing she is capable of blasting winners from anywhere. She has entered the top 20 and could take over from Marion Bartoli as the French number one if she performs well in Paris. With the home crowd certain to roar after every shot she takes, the real question is how she we will deal with the new-found expectation that accompanies her matches.
Sport.co.uk predicts…
This year’s championship looks wide open. Henin is no longer the dead cert she was. However, if she can find her best form, the Belgian should have too much class on the clay. If the draw separates them then a Henin V Venus Williams final might be the match of the tournament. And don’t be surprised if the fearless Rezai keeps home hopes alive until the semi-finals, maybe with some Serbian interest in the form of the reinvigorated Jankovic.