FRENCH OPEN 2007: Women's Semifinals Preview

The 2007 French Open Women's semifinals are now set.

Justine Henin BEL (1) vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (4).
Unfortunately, the Serena Williams-Justine Henin quarterfinal did not live up to the breathless hype. Serena was oddly flat and for some reason modified her game for clay court play by adding slice and finesse to her shots in order to defeat the best female clay court tennis player in the world. Serena lost in straight set 6-4, 6-3. The World #1 has played Jelena Jankovic five times and never lost, including two times on clay. Interestingly, all of their matches have gone three sets, and in all of their matches but one the Serbian player has won the first set. At last year's U.S. Open semifinal Jankovic was two points away from taking a near insurmountable lead in the second set when she had a mental meltdown after a confrontation with the umpire and ended up losing that set and failed to win another game. Henin has already won three Roland Garros titles and has set a new record for consecutive sets won at a Grand Slam event, however that streak will come to an end in this match. PREDICTION: Jankovic in 3 sets.

Ana Ivanovic SRB (7) vs. Maria Sharapova RUS (2). Sadly, Svetlana Kuznetsova could not handle the pressure of Roger Federer's admiration and lost to the pulchritudinous Serbian teenager 6-0, 3-6, 6-1. Sharapova easily defeated Anna Chakevetadze to attain her first Roland Garros semifinal. Sharapova and Ivanovic have only played twice before, with Sharapova winning a close match on hard courts and Ivanovic winning this year when Sharapova retired with a shoulder injury after losing the first set. The Russian had no right to get past crafty lefty Patty Schnyder in the 4th round and I refuse to believe that Ana Ivanovic will hesitate to go for broke when she holds match point to advance to her first Grand Slam final. PREDICTION: Ivanovic in 3 sets.