FRENCH OPEN 2009: Women's Quarterfinals Preview

Here are my predictions for the women's quarterfinals at Roland Garros this year.

Dinara Safina RUS (1) vs. Victoria Azarenka BLR (9) Ana Ivanovic SRB (8) . Dinara Safina has been playing like she is the best player in the world. Oh, wait, she IS the #1 ranked player in the world! Safina has been improving in every round, losing a mere 5, then 3, then 2, then 1 games in her first four straight set victories. However, I don't think Victoria Azarenka is (or even should be) scared of being double bageled in her first Grand Slam quarterfinal. The talented and fearless Belarussian took out Serena Williams in the 5th slam in Miami in straight sets earlier this year and thrives on big matches. However, although the youngster is indomitable she is not unbeatable. This will be a prototypical Big Babe tennis match--Mary Carillo should be ecstatic and, as she says, "the better athlete will win." PREDICTION: Safina in 2 (close) sets.

Dominika Cibulkova SVK (20) vs Maria Sharapova RUS. Cibulkova is a deceptively difficult opponent to beat, but Sharapova has done it twice in their only two meetings, last year, both on clay. Sharapova (listed at 6'2" but probably taller) has nearly a foot on the diminutive Dominika (listed at 5'3" but probably shorter) and this may very well turn out to be a straight set rout. However, Sharapova is nowhere near match tough, having had to go the distance in her first four matches (including choking on a middle set bagel served by hard hitting Li Na in her previous match) and I expect the Drama Queen will not advance without more drama, but advance she will, right into the buzz saw that is Dinara Safina. PREDICTION: Sharapova in 3 sets.

Jelena Jankovic SRB (5) Sorana Cirstea ROU vs. Virginie Razzano FRA Samantha Stosur AUS (30). The surprise quarterfinalists. Cirstea was two points away from losing against former World #1 Jelena Jankovic multiple times in the third set and kept on bashing away at the ball, painting the lines in a manner reminiscent of a young Monica Seles. Jankovic "served" for the match at 5-4 and was promptly broken, eventually going down 3-6 6-0 9-7. Stosur is more well-known as an excellent doubles player and so I had put my money on the French veteran Razzano getting to the quarterfinals in front of her countrymen. This one is really a toss-up which is likely to include some truly horrendous tennis as the two fight to see who really wants to stand on the big stage of a Grand Slam semifinal more. In these cases it is often the veteran who comes out the loser because they more firmly understand the significance of the moment and I expect this case to be no different. Youth will be served. PREDICTION: Cirstea in 3 sets.

Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (7) vs. Serena Williams USA (2). This should be the best match of the tournament to date. But "How do you solve a problem like Sveta?" Sigh. Long famous for being singled out as "the most talented" of the Russians by none-other than Living Legend Martina Navratilova Kuznetsova (Sveta to her friends, which includes basically everyone on the Tour) has been in three major finals but has started to garner a reputation for being mentally weak deep in the final deciding set when it really counts. These two champions have looked at the draw and know they are really playing for a slot in the 2009 Roland Garros final; Serena Williams is very cognizant of her place in tennis history books and would like to add another unique entry with a win in Paris for a "Williams slam" and maintain the possibility of a calendar grand slam sweep. Serena has only lost once to Kuznetsova in 6 previous meetings and actually beat the Russian in the Quarters of the first Grand Slam event of 2009. I suspect histiry will be repeated, and made, here. PREDICTION: Williams in 3 sets.