lines are out, but I really haven't dissect the card yet
lets put a our heads together and try to find some winners
lets put a our heads together and try to find some winners
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The draw for the 2013 French Open has yielded a number of fascinating early round match ups, as well as potential blockbuster quarter-finals. The big news is that Victoria Azarenka has been drawn in Maria Sharapova’s half, with Agnieszka Radwanska seeded to take on Serena Williams in the last four.
If you are also interested in the Men’s Draw, you can read all about it here: French Open 2013 Men’s Draw
Serena, the overwhelming favourite to win this year’s tournament, will get her campaign underway against world number 83 Anna Tatishvili. Following that will be a clash with either a qualifier or promising French teenager Caroline Garcia, who gave Sharapova an almighty scare in Paris two years ago. In the third round, Serena is seeded to face Sorana Cristea, but the Romanian has struggled to win consecutive matches on clay this season, and she could well lose out to Johanna Larsson or Monica Niculescu in the second round. Given that Serena has a commanding winning record against all of the aforementioned players, it would be a surprise if she lost a set before the fourth round.
At that stage, she could run into one of two formidable competitors: Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova or Roberta Vinci. Although Pavlyuchenkova suffered a setback by losing in the first round of the Italian Open a couple of weeks ago, she won tournaments in Monterey and Oeiras in April and, guided by new coach Martina Hingis, pushed Azarenka to the limit in Madrid. Vinci, meanwhile, was champion in Katowice early on the clay court season, and was contesting the semi-finals of the Brussels Open at the time of writing. While Serena will still be the heavy favourite against either woman, both are capable of causing her serious problems, especially if she has an “off” day midway through the tournament.
In one of the standout matches of the first round, troubled 10th seed Caroline Wozniacki will take on British number one Laura Robson. The Dane has managed only one win on clay this season, and will be entering Paris severely short of confidence. In contrast, Robson recently earned the biggest scalp of her career when she demolished Agnieszka Radwanska in Madrid. Having split from her demanding coach Zeljko Krajan, the Londoner looks to be enjoying her tennis more than ever, and will feel she has a real chance against Wozniacki. Even if the winner of that match makes it past either a qualifier or the erratic Bojana Jovanovski in round two, however, a tough opponent will likely await in the third round. Svetlana Kuznetsova may be one of the most inconsistent players on tour, but she won the French Open in 2009 and loves to perform on a big stage. She will play 22nd seed Ekaterina Makarova in her opening match, the woman who brought Azarenka’s winning streak to an end in Madrid at the beginning of the month.
Angelique Kerber is the eighth seed at this year’s French Open, but the injury-stricken German will not take a quarter-final spot for granted. She was forced to pull out of Rome with an abdominal strain, and faces a dangerous floater right off the bat in Mona Barthel. If she can beat her younger compatriot, she will benefit from a relatively soft section in which 29th seed Varvara Lepchenko is the most accomplished player. That said, Kerber v Wozniacki/Robson/Kuznetsova/Makarova would be an evenly-matched fourth-rounder, with the winner almost certainly taking on Serena.
Predicted quarter-final: Serena def. Makarova
The second quarter of the draw is headed by Agnieszka Radwanska, seeded four but struggling with injury and a loss of form of late. She pulled out of the Brussels Open with a sore shoulder, and before that had won only one match on red clay in 2013. The Pole shouldn’t have too much trouble getting through her first two matches, but in the third round she could run into either Venus Williams or younger sister Urszula Radwanska, who meet in the opening round. Although it is always great to see Venus compete, even her most ardent fans accept that she is well short of vintage form, hindered by illness and injury in recent seasons. Agnieszka has beaten her sister in three of their four meetings, and she thrashed Venus at last year’s French Open, but a rematch with either woman would be a highlight of the round.
Ana Ivanovic may has lost some steam following an early exit in Rome, but the former world number one and 2008 Roland Garros champion has been one of the most impressive players on clay this season, reaching the semi-finals in Madrid and pushing Sharapova hard in Stuttgart. The Serb has a potentially tricky opening match with Croatia’s Petra Martic, but she will be confident of finding a way past the other women in her section, especially given that 24th seed Julia Goerges recently sustained a painful-looking wrist injury.
Ivanovic will certainly fancy her chances against an off-key Agnieszka Radwanska in the last 16, and she could have a chance to go even further if she hits peak form. Seeded to meet the winner of that match is Sara Errani, whose road to the top of the game began in earnest with a runner-up finish at last year’s French Open. The Italian is likely to sweep past the slumping Arantxa Rus in the first round, but she will be matched for feistiness in the second round if she faces the intense Kazakh Yulia Putintseva. The other notable players in this section range from the powerful but erratic – Sabine Lisicki and Nadia Petrova – to consistent clay court specialists such as 20th seed Carla Suarez Navarro. It’s also worth looking out for rising American star Madison Keys, who thumped Li Na in Madrid and seems to enjoy paying on the dirt.
Predicted quarter-final: Errani def. Ivanovic
Speaking of Li Na, the Chinese has been handed one of the toughest openers of any top seed. She will play Anabel Medina Garrigues, the Spanish veteran who pushed Serena to a 7-5 third set in Madrid. Assuming she lovercomes that hurdle, an equally tricky opponent awaits in the second round in either Lourdes Dominguez Lino, another highly competent clay courter, or Bethanie Mattek-Sands, the resurgent American with a bombastic game. As if that wasn’t enough, Yaroslava Shvedova, the 27th seed, is also in Li’s section. The Kazakh rose to prominence by reaching the quarter-finals of last year’s French Open as a qualifier, and although her form in 2013 hasn’t been promising, she will surely be motivated by the return to the scene of past glory, as well as the need to defend a hefty amount of ranking points.
Heather Watson, now the British number two, makes her return from a bout of glandular fever in Paris, and has a winnable opener against Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele, with the victor likely to take on Kaia Kanepi in the second round. Kanepi has been slowly climbing the rankings again after being sidelined for several months with an achilles injury, and will be keen to repeat the success she enjoyed at last year’s French Open, when she dispatched Caroline Wozniacki on her way to the quarter-finals. Should she reach the third round this year, the Estonian will most probably play 12th seed Maria Kirilenko.
Victoria Azarenka isn’t being talked up as a major French Open contender, despite being the third seed and despite suffering only two losses this year. But the Belarusian, who missed several tournaments in March and April after suffering an ankle injury, could benefit from flying below the radar. After a potentially challenging opening match against Elena Vesnina, Azarenka’s path to the quarter-finals appears to be relatively easy. The highest ranked player in her section is the off-form Marian Bartoli, and the likes of Alize Cornet, Kirsten Flipkens and even 2010 champion Francesca Schiavone are unlikely to be consistent or powerful enough to stop Azarenka, provided she plays with an even temper and keeps her unforced errors in check. A clash with Li in the last eight would be a much tougher prospect, but Vika has won the pair’s last five matches, including the Australian Open final earlier this year.
Predicted quarter-final: Azarenka def. Li
There are some intriguing first round clashes in the penultimate section of the women’s draw. Jamie Hampton, one of the most promising of the young American players, will take on 25th seed Lucie Safarova, while Jelena Jankovic, who has been posting some encouraging results lately, will face Daniela Hantuchova. Petra Kvitova is the eighth seed and will be heavily favoured to get past Aravane Rezai in the first round, but she could find her second match with Shuai Peng more of a conundrum.
Elsewhere, Sam Stosur, who memorably defeated Serena on her way to the final in 2010, will play Kimiko Date-Krumm in what promises to be an entertaining first round match. The slated Stosur-Kvitova fourth-rounder would be an absorbing contest between two of 2011’s Grand Slam champions, but nothing can be taken for granted with either player, each of whom is as capable of mental collapse as she is of producing lights-out tennis.
Finally, Maria Sharapova’s bid for a second straight title in Paris will begin with a first round match against Su-Wei Hsieh, ranked 42 thanks to a successful end to 2012 but far short of that standard this season. Although Sharapova is unlikely to be upset by Canada’s Eugenie Bouchard in round two, she could well be tested by the youngster, who reached her first tournament semi-final in Brussels at the weekend. In the third round, Zheng Jie could potentially cause some trouble for Sharapova if the Russian is short of her best form.
Sloane Stephens seems to have been attracting attention for the wrong reasons in recent weeks, so the American will be aiming to make her tennis do the talking at Roland Garros. Seeded 17th, she has a decent path to the third round, where she is likely to face Dominika Cibulkova. That would be an interesting psychological battle two players who mental strength has been questionable this season, but also an excellent opportunity for both to make the second week of a major tournament. Cibulkova beat Azarenka in the fourth round last year and therefore has a lot of points to defend, while Stephens, who made the round of 16 twelve months ago, needs a good result to rekindle her belief that she belongs in the top 20.
Predicted quarter-final: Sharapova def. Kvitova
Sharapova’s half of the draw is undoubtedly the most star-studded, but not all of those stars have been shining brightly during this clay court season. Li Na could tap into her world-beating form and make a second straight Grand Slam final, and Stosur and Kvitova are always serious threats, but it seems foolish to pick against Sharapova, who has been incredibly consistent since she hoisted the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen last year. Azarenka will represent a significant challenge should the two meet in the semi-finals, but Sharapova has beaten her in both of their clay court meetings and is never more motivated that at the latter stages of a Grand Slam.
But it would be a huge surprise if Serena Williams were not waiting for the defending champion in the final. The top seed is in the form of her life; not only is she unbeaten on clay this year, she utterly dominated the field in Rome, losing only 14 games in the entire tournament. Serena has stated that the biggest roadblock to a second Roland Garros title is “the lady in the mirror,” referring to her troubled history at the event. Yet it would be astonishing if the woman many regard as the greatest of all time suffers another shock defeat in the French capital. She has been more focussed than ever following her stunning loss to Virginie Razzano last year, and is determined to prove to the world, and to herself, that she can triumph in Paris 11 years after her maiden victory.Comment -
The repercussions of seven-time Roland Garros champion Rafael Nadal’s long absence from tennis continue to be felt even several months after his return. Despite world number two Andy Murray pulling out due to a back injury, the Spaniard only made it into the draw as the number three seed. Top seeds Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer combine for a 5-27 record against Nadal on clay so clearly the big question is who got Rafa?
Quarter 1
So the big news is that Nadal has fallen in the same half as top seed and world number one Novak Djokovic. The pair are scheduled to meet in the semi-finals, a match that some will see as the final in all but name. The bad news doesn’t stop there for the Serb as his quarter looks reasonably tough with a opener against David Goffin, who made it to the fourth round last year. Later on a potential third round showdown with Grigor Dimitrov beckons, the Bulgarian having sensationally defeated Djokovic at the Madrid Masters. Dimitrov has never been past the second round of a Grand Slam before and an alternative opponent for Djokovic at this stage could be Alejandro Falla.
Djokovic has more luck with his later seeded opponents with number 16 seed Philipp Kohlschreiber aiming to meet him in the fourth round. Alexandr Dolgopolov and the troubled Bernard Tomic are other possibilities at this stage. The quarter-final opponent is fellow Serb and number eight seed Janko Tipsarevic, who will face opposition from the evergreen Tommy Haas and sometime clay courter John Isner to make the rendezvous with Djokovic.
Round one to watch:
Grigor Dimitrov vs Alejandro Falla
It is a tough opener for the talented and popular Dimitrov as Falla has been as far as the fourth round in Paris. Nevertheless it is the sort of match the Bulgarian has to win if he’s to continue moving up the rankings. The potential for a showtime match in round three with Djokovic may just add a little extra incentive.
Quarter 2
Roland Garros titan Nadal will open his campaign against Daniel Brands. The German’s failure to get past the first round of Roland Garros in four previous attempts does not inspire much hope he will be anything other than canon fodder for Nadal’s trusty Babolat. The likely second round opponent Martin Klizan is more interesting as the Slovak won the junior title in Paris back in 2006 and some decent results have pushed him as high as number 26. The third round could see a rematch with Nadal’s Wimbledon conqueror from last year, Lukas Rosol. Rosol will likely have to see off Italy’s Fabio Fognini first and can expect an exceptionally motivated Nadal if he does.
Potential seeded opponents for the fourth round are Benoit Paire and Kei Nishikori, with Marcos Baghdatis looking to get involved too. The number seven seed Richard Gasquet is Nadal’s expected quarter-final opponent, although the in-form Stan Wawrinka and Jerzy Janowicz could make it that far. Janowicz played well against Federer in Rome and is the type of player that could give Nadal some problems.
Round one to watch:
Benoit Paire vs Marcos Baghdatis
The attack-minded Frenchman and mercurial Cypriot should put on a good performance for what will presumably be a show court crowd.
Quarter 3
David Ferrer heads up the third quarter and will see this tournament as a big opportunity to reach his first Grand Slam final. There is just one problem with this; he has never beaten his potential semi-final opponent Federer in 14 attempts, including five matches on clay. Still the Spaniard is playing as well as ever and will be looking to capitalise should Federer prove vulnerable. First up is Marinko Matosevic, who is perhaps best known for once knocking over one of Nadal’s carefully placed water bottles. The second round could well see Ferrer face off with his compatriot Albert Montanes with fellow Spaniards Marcel Granollers and Feliciano Lopez among the contenders to play him in round three. Kevin Anderson and Milos Raonic are the hard-serving seeds lined up for round four.
Ferrer’s slated quarter final opponent is number five seed Tomas Berdych, who scored a win over Djokovic in Rome. Before that the Czech starts against home favourite, and dangerous draw floater due to injury, Gael Monfils. In fact Berdych has something of a nightmare draw in the early rounds with Ernests Gulbis the likely opponent in round two and maybe the resurgent Tommy Robredo (who recently beat him in Barcelona) or former semi-finalist Jurgen Melzer after that. The pain doesn’t stop there with the dangerous clay specialist and 11th seed Nicolas Almagro a possible opponent in the fourth round. That run of opponents might well involve some gruelling matches and even if Berdych gets through, he may be short of the energy needed to combat Ferrer’s relentless style in the quarter-final. The worst draws can open up once the tournament gets underway though and Berdych will certainly be hoping for some shocks to clear his path a little.
Round one to watch:
Tomas Berdych vs Gael Monfils
The Frenchman got all the way to the semi-finals back in 2008 and his legions of fans will be hoping he can upset Berdych.
Quarter 4
2009 champion Federer has the fortune to be surrounded by qualifiers for the first two rounds. The Swiss is less lucky with Julien Benneteau drawn as one of his potential third round opponents. The Frenchman upset Federer at Rotterdam in February having previously defeated him at the Paris Masters in 2009 and also held a two set advantage in the Wimbledon third round last year before ultimately losing in five sets. If Federer comes through intact this time he can expect to play Gilles Simon, who offered very little resistance in their recent encounter in Rome, or Sam Querrey. Simon has an interesting first round match with former world number one Lleyton Hewitt.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is seeded to face Federer in the quarter-final. France’s best hope for Roland Garros has a 3-9 deficit in their head-to-head but did defeat Federer at this stage of Wimbledon in 2011 and took the Swiss to five sets in their Australian Open encounter earlier this year. The main opposition to Tsonga in the early stages should come from Juan Monaco, compatriot Jeremy Chardy and Marin Cilic.
Round one to watch:
Nick Kyrgios vs Radek Stepanek
Kyrgios has been wild carded into the main draw after winning the junior title at the Australian Open and the Sydney Challenger earlier this year. At 34, Stepanek is 16 years older than his opponent, making this match an intriguing contrast as well as a possible glimpse at the future.Comment -
not much participation from the forum
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[QUOTE=Bet10Heinekens;18770288]not much participation from the forum
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Dinah Pfizenmaier vs Mandy Minella @2.38
Am I missing something? Why isn't this closer to evens? This is the one that caught my eye of the wagers I placed.Comment -
Onliy play so far is Duckworth over 38.5Comment -
Can Carreno Busta takes one set off Federer?P. Carreno-Busta
Over 10.5 1.893
Under 10.5 1.962R. Federer
Over 18.5 1.746
Under 18.5 2.150Comment -
Absolutely, though it won't be the first...Comment -
why not the first?Comment -
lol @simon getting spanked by HewittComment -
My first and only play of Day 1:
Carreno Busta +8.5 against RF.
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putting Hajek on upset alert
hopefully Kudla(best young American prospect) can steal a set or 2 for the over games totalComment -
carreno-busta
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hewitt is getting spanked now..Comment -
I still like the Busta HC for once...
Well yeah it was to be expected, but he won 1:st, 2:nd and sooooooo many breaks!
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Sup guys. Who you got in the next matches?Comment -
Carreno Busta is the only one I like and he's getting spanked
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Hewitt comes back from 0-5 to 4-5 Serving on the fifth set. Simon
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if Simon comes through, I will be looking to fade his bitch assComment -
anyone like venus to get beat in round one?Comment -
Stupid Lacko the whacko.Comment -
not my write-up
Unlike her sister Serena, Venus Williams is far from championship form. Seems to me we wont have chance to watch Venus too long on this tournament. Still, I believe she is favorite in this opening match. Experience and quality are so much on her side, but seems also form which is not the best but still Venus is in much better shape then Urszula Radwanska is. The only good recent result for younger Radwanska sister was surprising victory in Rome over Ana Ivanovic. But it was more bad day for Ivanovic then too good performance from Urszula Radwanska.
I don't expect easy win for American today but clearly Venus should reached second round.Comment -
I need lacko to win one more game to push my +7.Comment -
anybody else on llodra to bear darcis?Comment -
Anybody else on cirstea?Comment -
venus has an illness that affects her conditioning but she will be most dangerous in these early rounds. hopefully she wins some of these earlier matches and makes for a great fade as the tournament goes on.Comment -
[QUOTE=Demonata;18771908]anybody else on llodra to bear darcis?[/QUOTE
I like the over for the match, cant see either guy winning in straight setsComment -
I don't know if V Williams is in better shape than URad considering her back issues, but I agree with the rest. The odds are pretty low on Williams now though. If you like Rad then the odds are nice. Williams has had a good amount of rest so you would expect her to take this one.Comment
... Hewitt was playing bad lately so I said I'll wait 1 more round to fade Simon 
