Friday 2 January 2009
Last for this blog
Hi everyone I've decided to stop posting on this blog and start afresh, hopefully that will allow me to make one good blog rather than 3 seperate ones. If you want to hear more on it you could go on my other blog to read about it but I basically said what is going to happen!
Sunday 2 November 2008
Year Ending Draw
Ok before I go on to women's draw I have to detour and congratulate Lewis Hamilton for winning in F1 (not the race but the title).
But now back to tennis. The Women's draw is the worst thing that could have happened!
Jelena/Ana/Svetlana/Vera
This gives perfect chance for Ana to get to the semis.
Dinara/Serena/Elena/Venus
This is a really difficult draw I think, Elena is technically on the back foot here but she could do some upsets.
All in all everything went not to plan. Now Venus really has to fight for her spot.
Let's now extimate what would happen for each match
Jelena Vs. Ana
Jelena has an overwhelming bad win loss record against her serbian compatriot however Ivanovic is not in great form, it seems very difficult to predict who will have the better form on the day as last year Jankovic did terribly here. On paper this should be a tough match but it all depends on whether the two are in form or not, however with Jankovic's new ranking I think she'll feel more confident against Ivanovic.
Jelena Vs. Svetlana
Funnily enough Jankovic has a losing record to Kuznetsova also, however Jankovic has been the victor every time they reach the final (both being only two set matches as well). It all depends on the form of Svetlana but I expect this to be a two set match with Jankovic as the victor.
Jelena Vs. Vera
Jankovic should be fine against Zvonareva, considering the Year Ending is on Hard Courts as Vera has only beaten Jankovic once of hard and that was way back in 2006.
Ana Vs. Svetlana
These two haven't played since Indian Wells and most can agree that Ivanovic was at a much better form at that point, however I think Ivanovic may have the upper hand against Svetlana though I'd be expecting a three setter here.
Ana Vs. Vera
The results between these two have always been easy, two setters never having reached a tie break. I'm expecting the same as Ivanovic recently beat Zvonareva 6-2,6-1.
Svetlana Vs. Vera
These two have not played since 2006! So really it seems very difficult to predict what would happen, I do think Svetlana may have the slight advantage.
Dinara/Serena/Elena/Venus
Dinara Vs. Serena
Personally I think Serena should be fine against Dinara on hard courts. I don't think Safina has the game to beat Serena on hard unless Serena succumbs to injury!
Dinara Vs. Elena
Twice they've played on Hard courts and both times Elena won in three sets. I'm kind of anticipating a very difficult tussle between the two, the thing is Elena's last victory against her was in the Olympics but for some reason I think Elena has extra vigour in the Olympics but never seems to have the same energy in the Year End.
Dinara Vs. Venus
There one tussle in Stuttgart isn't really enough to decide as Venus is never a predictable player.
Serena Vs. Elena
Serena has a winning record against Elena but if you discount anything before 2005 then Serena is on very thin ice as she hasn't beaten her since 2004. If we were to predict this match from the Olympics it wouldn't be too fair as I said I think Elena has that extra something in the Olympics. I'm expecting this to be a three sets (though it doesn't have to be tough).
Serena Vs. Venus
The pair have played against each other 17 times with Serena capping her latest victory in the US Open. It's very difficult to predict who will win on a Hard Court. It is definitely going to be a tough match but with Serena playing Venus I think Serena has the upper hand.
Elena Vs. Venus
This is probably one of the more difficult games to predict though I'd expect Venus to be on top even though the last time they played on Hard was in 2004! It depends on how the games are scheduled I think.
But now back to tennis. The Women's draw is the worst thing that could have happened!
Jelena/Ana/Svetlana/Vera
This gives perfect chance for Ana to get to the semis.
Dinara/Serena/Elena/Venus
This is a really difficult draw I think, Elena is technically on the back foot here but she could do some upsets.
All in all everything went not to plan. Now Venus really has to fight for her spot.
Let's now extimate what would happen for each match
Jelena Vs. Ana
Jelena has an overwhelming bad win loss record against her serbian compatriot however Ivanovic is not in great form, it seems very difficult to predict who will have the better form on the day as last year Jankovic did terribly here. On paper this should be a tough match but it all depends on whether the two are in form or not, however with Jankovic's new ranking I think she'll feel more confident against Ivanovic.
Jelena Vs. Svetlana
Funnily enough Jankovic has a losing record to Kuznetsova also, however Jankovic has been the victor every time they reach the final (both being only two set matches as well). It all depends on the form of Svetlana but I expect this to be a two set match with Jankovic as the victor.
Jelena Vs. Vera
Jankovic should be fine against Zvonareva, considering the Year Ending is on Hard Courts as Vera has only beaten Jankovic once of hard and that was way back in 2006.
Ana Vs. Svetlana
These two haven't played since Indian Wells and most can agree that Ivanovic was at a much better form at that point, however I think Ivanovic may have the upper hand against Svetlana though I'd be expecting a three setter here.
Ana Vs. Vera
The results between these two have always been easy, two setters never having reached a tie break. I'm expecting the same as Ivanovic recently beat Zvonareva 6-2,6-1.
Svetlana Vs. Vera
These two have not played since 2006! So really it seems very difficult to predict what would happen, I do think Svetlana may have the slight advantage.
Dinara/Serena/Elena/Venus
Dinara Vs. Serena
Personally I think Serena should be fine against Dinara on hard courts. I don't think Safina has the game to beat Serena on hard unless Serena succumbs to injury!
Dinara Vs. Elena
Twice they've played on Hard courts and both times Elena won in three sets. I'm kind of anticipating a very difficult tussle between the two, the thing is Elena's last victory against her was in the Olympics but for some reason I think Elena has extra vigour in the Olympics but never seems to have the same energy in the Year End.
Dinara Vs. Venus
There one tussle in Stuttgart isn't really enough to decide as Venus is never a predictable player.
Serena Vs. Elena
Serena has a winning record against Elena but if you discount anything before 2005 then Serena is on very thin ice as she hasn't beaten her since 2004. If we were to predict this match from the Olympics it wouldn't be too fair as I said I think Elena has that extra something in the Olympics. I'm expecting this to be a three sets (though it doesn't have to be tough).
Serena Vs. Venus
The pair have played against each other 17 times with Serena capping her latest victory in the US Open. It's very difficult to predict who will win on a Hard Court. It is definitely going to be a tough match but with Serena playing Venus I think Serena has the upper hand.
Elena Vs. Venus
This is probably one of the more difficult games to predict though I'd expect Venus to be on top even though the last time they played on Hard was in 2004! It depends on how the games are scheduled I think.
Saturday 1 November 2008
ATP in Paris
Oh my God none of the Top 4 seeds are in the semis!?!?!
And then it looks like Nadal and Federer aren't at their top forms as both retired from injury!?!?!
On top of that Djokovic isn't on top form either!?!?!
And Del Potro could be knocked off his place in the Year Ending by Nalbandian!!??!!
Why does Nalbandian always perform better in the end of the season??!?!??!
And Tsonga's back???!?!?!?!?
This is going to be a very interesting Year Ending.
And then it looks like Nadal and Federer aren't at their top forms as both retired from injury!?!?!
On top of that Djokovic isn't on top form either!?!?!
And Del Potro could be knocked off his place in the Year Ending by Nalbandian!!??!!
Why does Nalbandian always perform better in the end of the season??!?!??!
And Tsonga's back???!?!?!?!?
This is going to be a very interesting Year Ending.
Tuesday 28 October 2008
Year End Championships
Well well well we're finally here, in a year capped with unexpected disasters we finally reach the Year Ending. Highlights of the Top 8 players are definitely Jelena reaching Number 1 without having won a Grand Slam - very Kim Clijsters/Amelie Mauresmo esque! Dinara Safina shocking the world by becoming Number 2, Serena Williams returning to the No.1 for the briefest moment - her Us Open victory is close! Ana Ivanovic winning Roland Garros but then failing to live up to expectations, Elena Dementieva returning to the elite of tennis with very little press coverage here in Britain, Maria Sharapova collapsing after what I thought would be a handover year to her. Svetlana Kuznetsova continuing her run as player you never knew existed but in the Top 8! Finally Venus Williams winning another Wimbledon title! But all have been overshadowed by the shock retirement of Justine Henin!
Anyway who will win in the Final showdown! Jelena will definitely be on everyone's top 3 lists I think whilst Dinara Safina has a strong chance. You can never discount the Williams sisters either. Then we have the ones I doubt will make it. Though Ana won in Geneva I think against the top tier opponents she will crumble away as usual. Svetlana and Vera are likely to be mentioned as possible outsiders but I doubt they will actualy win the title. Whilst Elena I just think will not win! This is what I want the groups to be.
Jelena/Ana/Elena/Venus
Dinara/Serena/Svetlana/Vera
Ok this is because we have the more powerful opponents on one side and the others on the other side! Nope there's actually more to it! I think Jelena will be sure to make the semis so the group will be left with Ana, Elena and Venus. Venus should be able to take on both Ana and Elena as Ana is on bad form and I think Venus has an advantage against Elena. Whilst on the other side I think Serena is more likely to win against Dinara than win against Jelena whilst Kuznetsova and Vera shouldn't be a problem. As Safina has a 7-4 lead over Kuznetsova I think Dinara will continue on a positive note - the only problem may be Vera Zvonareva who Safina has lost to in their past three meetings - all on Hard courts by the way. However I think Svetlana should have the upper hand against Vera so Dinara should be able to get in the semis as 2nd in the group. This means Jelena will face Dinara and Serena will face Venus - I think that will be the best semi as if Serena faces Venus in the finals I think Serena will win for sure but in the semis I don't know! Weird isn't it! Whilst Jelena and Dinara are left to destroy each other! The thing is this draw is actually possible!
As the mens aren't fully developed I cn only say what I wish to happen which is Simon, Del Potro and Roddick making the final 8 - though I think Ferrer may kick out Simon!
Anyway the draw will be
Nadal/Murray/Del Potro/Simon
Federer/Djokovic/Davydenko/Roddick
Nadal/Djokovic/Davydenko/Simon
Federer/Murray/Del Potro/Roddick
Ok yes I'm indecisive on this one. Here's what I'm thinking. Nadal is quite likely going to win his group - if not he'll at least be 2nd therefore his section needs to be easier for Djokovic and Murray to have a definite chance of going through, therefore I've stuck Djokovic to Davydenko and Murray to Del Potro and as I really want Roddick to have a chance to play Federer he is in Federer's group for both. If Nadal is with Murray then i think it would be Nadal and Murray to make the final 4. However it would be difficult to predict who would win out of Federer and Djokovic. However if Djokovic was in Nadal's group I think Djokovic will face Nadal and Murray will face Federer. But this is what I truly want
Djokovic Vs Murray, Nadal Vs. Federer. This would be the most interesting semis I think but I really want Djokovic to get to the final! It's so difficult! We'll just have to see.
Anyway who will win in the Final showdown! Jelena will definitely be on everyone's top 3 lists I think whilst Dinara Safina has a strong chance. You can never discount the Williams sisters either. Then we have the ones I doubt will make it. Though Ana won in Geneva I think against the top tier opponents she will crumble away as usual. Svetlana and Vera are likely to be mentioned as possible outsiders but I doubt they will actualy win the title. Whilst Elena I just think will not win! This is what I want the groups to be.
Jelena/Ana/Elena/Venus
Dinara/Serena/Svetlana/Vera
Ok this is because we have the more powerful opponents on one side and the others on the other side! Nope there's actually more to it! I think Jelena will be sure to make the semis so the group will be left with Ana, Elena and Venus. Venus should be able to take on both Ana and Elena as Ana is on bad form and I think Venus has an advantage against Elena. Whilst on the other side I think Serena is more likely to win against Dinara than win against Jelena whilst Kuznetsova and Vera shouldn't be a problem. As Safina has a 7-4 lead over Kuznetsova I think Dinara will continue on a positive note - the only problem may be Vera Zvonareva who Safina has lost to in their past three meetings - all on Hard courts by the way. However I think Svetlana should have the upper hand against Vera so Dinara should be able to get in the semis as 2nd in the group. This means Jelena will face Dinara and Serena will face Venus - I think that will be the best semi as if Serena faces Venus in the finals I think Serena will win for sure but in the semis I don't know! Weird isn't it! Whilst Jelena and Dinara are left to destroy each other! The thing is this draw is actually possible!
As the mens aren't fully developed I cn only say what I wish to happen which is Simon, Del Potro and Roddick making the final 8 - though I think Ferrer may kick out Simon!
Anyway the draw will be
Nadal/Murray/Del Potro/Simon
Federer/Djokovic/Davydenko/Roddick
Nadal/Djokovic/Davydenko/Simon
Federer/Murray/Del Potro/Roddick
Ok yes I'm indecisive on this one. Here's what I'm thinking. Nadal is quite likely going to win his group - if not he'll at least be 2nd therefore his section needs to be easier for Djokovic and Murray to have a definite chance of going through, therefore I've stuck Djokovic to Davydenko and Murray to Del Potro and as I really want Roddick to have a chance to play Federer he is in Federer's group for both. If Nadal is with Murray then i think it would be Nadal and Murray to make the final 4. However it would be difficult to predict who would win out of Federer and Djokovic. However if Djokovic was in Nadal's group I think Djokovic will face Nadal and Murray will face Federer. But this is what I truly want
Djokovic Vs Murray, Nadal Vs. Federer. This would be the most interesting semis I think but I really want Djokovic to get to the final! It's so difficult! We'll just have to see.
One more week
One more week until the end of the season! The BNP Paribas marks the final event where the top players have come out in force, whilst the womens have decided to take an early holiday with the Bell Challenge marking the penultimate showdown. Lets quickly cover the Bell Challenge so I can get onto the exciting stuff! Well actually I'll be amazed if Nadia Petrova doesn't win here as her opponents seem to pail in comparison to her ranking! I don't see any possible threats in her half of the draw - sorry Tanasugarn, Groenefeld and King! This then expands to the bottom half of the draw also! Her toughest opponent Sybille Bammer has already been knocked out so Nadia if you don't win this the whole of Russia wll laugh at you! And isn't it amazing how many Canadian players are playing in this tournament! I didn't even know there were that many Canadian players!
Now we move onto the seriou stuff - BNP Paribas. 3 berths ae up for grabs here and I hope it's not Ferrer who gets one - anyway that will be for the next post! Nadal has Monfils in his close vicinity, sadly Safin is out - but at least it was Monaco who beat him. So sad that 3 players that I like are eliminating each other! Anyway the winner; who I think will be Monfils, will take on Nadal - good luck! Wawrinka will face Berdych - who beat Ginepri (again two players I like - luckily Wawrinka isn't one of them!) Davydenko is also in this draw but he's been more than underwhelming lately - I didn't even remember he existed half the time. Also Ljubicic is in this draw - had to comment on him or it would seem like he vaished from the face of the earth! These 4 players are unlikely to challenge Nadal for the Semis spot and to be honest they seem unlikely to be in the QF's end of! Murray must be the talk of Nadal's fear as he is on fine form currently. Though I still doubt Murray has enough to beat Nadal I think he is well on his way to making that upset. His opponents shouldn't be too challenging - also of note Baghdatis has truely vanished from tennis! Whilst Robredo is trying to stay on the turf! Ancic is on the next side but it looks gloomy for him as he's got Del Potro to look forward to. But the potential winner in this section (Del Potro/Ancic, Kiefer/Nalbandian) could be tough opposition for Murray, however I think the semis here will be a Nadal/Murray affair. Roddick is on Djokovic's turf - boo hoo. Even more boo hooey is that Feliciano Lopez and Dmitry Tursunov face them in Round 2! Hopefully Djokovic will stay strong as recently he's been in wavering form. What is most interesting is that Simon and Roddick are scheduled to face each other - if that does happen it would be interesting to see who wins. Tsonga is also here by the way. Ferrer has the added luck of Blake being in his draw, meaning out of the potential Year End Championship players he has probably the easiest route - it may mean Simon is kicked out of the Championships! Anyway Mikhail will hopefully beat Ferrer - hopefully! Sadly Gasquet has decided enough is enough and withdrawn from the tournament, it means Federer has probably the easiest route to the semis - it wouldn't have been that much more difficult if Gasquet was around anyways! But Soderling may force Federer into three sets if Soderling is feeling up for it and you never know the youngster Marin Cilic may fancy a stab at glory! However it seems that the top seeds are likely to face each other in the semis - sadly I think Djokovic may have the smallest chance out of the 4 of getting to the semis. Anyway DJOKOVIC for the FINAL!
Now we move onto the seriou stuff - BNP Paribas. 3 berths ae up for grabs here and I hope it's not Ferrer who gets one - anyway that will be for the next post! Nadal has Monfils in his close vicinity, sadly Safin is out - but at least it was Monaco who beat him. So sad that 3 players that I like are eliminating each other! Anyway the winner; who I think will be Monfils, will take on Nadal - good luck! Wawrinka will face Berdych - who beat Ginepri (again two players I like - luckily Wawrinka isn't one of them!) Davydenko is also in this draw but he's been more than underwhelming lately - I didn't even remember he existed half the time. Also Ljubicic is in this draw - had to comment on him or it would seem like he vaished from the face of the earth! These 4 players are unlikely to challenge Nadal for the Semis spot and to be honest they seem unlikely to be in the QF's end of! Murray must be the talk of Nadal's fear as he is on fine form currently. Though I still doubt Murray has enough to beat Nadal I think he is well on his way to making that upset. His opponents shouldn't be too challenging - also of note Baghdatis has truely vanished from tennis! Whilst Robredo is trying to stay on the turf! Ancic is on the next side but it looks gloomy for him as he's got Del Potro to look forward to. But the potential winner in this section (Del Potro/Ancic, Kiefer/Nalbandian) could be tough opposition for Murray, however I think the semis here will be a Nadal/Murray affair. Roddick is on Djokovic's turf - boo hoo. Even more boo hooey is that Feliciano Lopez and Dmitry Tursunov face them in Round 2! Hopefully Djokovic will stay strong as recently he's been in wavering form. What is most interesting is that Simon and Roddick are scheduled to face each other - if that does happen it would be interesting to see who wins. Tsonga is also here by the way. Ferrer has the added luck of Blake being in his draw, meaning out of the potential Year End Championship players he has probably the easiest route - it may mean Simon is kicked out of the Championships! Anyway Mikhail will hopefully beat Ferrer - hopefully! Sadly Gasquet has decided enough is enough and withdrawn from the tournament, it means Federer has probably the easiest route to the semis - it wouldn't have been that much more difficult if Gasquet was around anyways! But Soderling may force Federer into three sets if Soderling is feeling up for it and you never know the youngster Marin Cilic may fancy a stab at glory! However it seems that the top seeds are likely to face each other in the semis - sadly I think Djokovic may have the smallest chance out of the 4 of getting to the semis. Anyway DJOKOVIC for the FINAL!
Last Week
Ok yet again I'm slightly late but it seems that nowadays that is the norm for me! Anyway did anyone realise that besides Andy Roddick the Top seeds of every other tournament won! Now when have you seen something like that happen! Especially when there were 5 tournaments last week! Anway first off is Geneva. Ok Ivanovic did win but I don't think it is enough to say that she has been doing good this year on the whole, yes this may be a comeback but I don't think she'll get back to Number 1 next year; maybe she'll have a chance in 2010 but not 2009. Anyway bravo to Flavia Pennetta for beating two strong opponents and then doing well against Ivanovic, if she can continue her form she may break the Top 10 next year! Besideds that I've got nothing much more to add here.
Elena won in Luxembourg also and I think I tipped the Semifinalists since the beginning so I'm happy. However It's sad to see how Amelie Mauresmo has seemingly no chance of returning into the Top 10. It seems like I didn't like her when she was good but I like her when she is lying low! Weird isn't it! Anyway I'm also happy for Na Li here as she performed well, hopefully she'll do better next time.
The mens saw Federer win the title but honestly besides the US what large tournament has he won? Anyway enough of that lets move onto Feliciano Lopez - good going for him he got to the Semis! All his matches were so tight! But hopefully he'll move from strength to strength here. Also reading an article saying Wawrinka has a chance of winning and then seeing him lose in the first round was quite comical!
As I said Roddick lost - this time to Soderling! Well there's always next time - wait there's only Paris to go! Gilles SImon is quickly making my Top players, I don't know what it is but I just like him nowadays! But the French must have been happy to see three of the four semifinalists as natives however the winner was Soderling so I guess it was slightly in their faces! I also long to see Gasquet become more consistent - to think that Simon is now No.1 French after so many French guys making headlines this year is truely extraordinary.
Yeah Murray Won! But that seems common this month! However it wasn't enough to cover the loss of Mario Ancic, Dmitry Tursunov, Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny all leaving before the QF! The Russians must be fully dissapointed - besides some unknown Russian named Michail Elgin no other Russian made it into the QFs!
Elena won in Luxembourg also and I think I tipped the Semifinalists since the beginning so I'm happy. However It's sad to see how Amelie Mauresmo has seemingly no chance of returning into the Top 10. It seems like I didn't like her when she was good but I like her when she is lying low! Weird isn't it! Anyway I'm also happy for Na Li here as she performed well, hopefully she'll do better next time.
The mens saw Federer win the title but honestly besides the US what large tournament has he won? Anyway enough of that lets move onto Feliciano Lopez - good going for him he got to the Semis! All his matches were so tight! But hopefully he'll move from strength to strength here. Also reading an article saying Wawrinka has a chance of winning and then seeing him lose in the first round was quite comical!
As I said Roddick lost - this time to Soderling! Well there's always next time - wait there's only Paris to go! Gilles SImon is quickly making my Top players, I don't know what it is but I just like him nowadays! But the French must have been happy to see three of the four semifinalists as natives however the winner was Soderling so I guess it was slightly in their faces! I also long to see Gasquet become more consistent - to think that Simon is now No.1 French after so many French guys making headlines this year is truely extraordinary.
Yeah Murray Won! But that seems common this month! However it wasn't enough to cover the loss of Mario Ancic, Dmitry Tursunov, Marat Safin and Mikhail Youzhny all leaving before the QF! The Russians must be fully dissapointed - besides some unknown Russian named Michail Elgin no other Russian made it into the QFs!
Sunday 19 October 2008
WTA next week
Well the Linz tournament is lacking some big names but Flavia Pennetta will be here hoping to win a title - however she faces stiff competition.
Ivanovic leads the seeds here but I highly doubt she'll win. If I was to put a safe bet I would go for Vera Zvonareva making the final. Anyway Flavia Pennetta will have Agnes Szavay to look out for in the 1st round. Ok Agnes is not great currently but you still need to look out for her in case she has a sudden burst of greatness! But Dominika Cibulkova is my main worry here. If it comes down to it I think Pennetta will have enough momentum to beat Ivanovic the only thing that would stop her is her stamina as most players who win one tournament find it difficult to get far in the next because of their stamina. Radwanska leads the next draw but she has the threat of Petrova. I doubt she is a title threat after her loss against Pennetta but she is capable of upsetting the crowd. I will be looking at Kaia Kanepi to make a splash but Srebotnik could also be a dark horse for the semis spot though I'd love to see Tanasugarn up there.
Bartoli wll face Sugiyama - hopefully Sugiyama's experience will crush Bartoli whilst former young hopeful Tamira Paszek has basically lost her way and seems to be going down the drain. Alona Bondarenko will also be here. Alize cornet is the seed alongside Zvonareva but Cornet seems to have lost her momentum and with the threat of Jie Zheng I'm not sure if she can win. Hopefully Maria Kirilenko will have enough to beat the winner of that match and have a go at the semifinalist spot.
The tier 3 tournament doesn't seem much weaker than the Tier II, anyway Elena Dementieva head this draw - it seems like ages since she has done so. Anyway Anna Lena Groenefeld could be her biggest challenge in the early stages as I don't see Amelie Mauresmo making an impact. So I'd expect to see Dementieva in the final 4 at least. Hantuchova is one of the most unpredictable female players in the Top 20 so I wouldn't like to guess, but if she's on form her opponent aren't that difficult to tackle. My eyes will be pealed for Sorana Cirstea though. Garrigues and Wozniacki will probably head the most tight section of the draw. Shuai Peng and Vera Dushevina could be possible threats to the two making a clash - luckily the two will eliminate one another by playing in the first round. However I think Wozniacki is a safer bet for the semis spot. Finally we have Na Li! and Chakvetadze making a scene but Laura Robson is the centre of attention here. She doesn't have too difficult a draw so hopefully she could at least get to the 2nd round. But I think Na Li should have enough to get to the semis here seeing Chakvetadze will probably succumb to Na Li when they clash.
Oh yeah forgot to say it's great to see doubles partners play each other (Medina Garrigues Vs Ruano Pascual) - it's just interesting. Also I love that Dulko is partnering Robson in the doubles!
Ivanovic leads the seeds here but I highly doubt she'll win. If I was to put a safe bet I would go for Vera Zvonareva making the final. Anyway Flavia Pennetta will have Agnes Szavay to look out for in the 1st round. Ok Agnes is not great currently but you still need to look out for her in case she has a sudden burst of greatness! But Dominika Cibulkova is my main worry here. If it comes down to it I think Pennetta will have enough momentum to beat Ivanovic the only thing that would stop her is her stamina as most players who win one tournament find it difficult to get far in the next because of their stamina. Radwanska leads the next draw but she has the threat of Petrova. I doubt she is a title threat after her loss against Pennetta but she is capable of upsetting the crowd. I will be looking at Kaia Kanepi to make a splash but Srebotnik could also be a dark horse for the semis spot though I'd love to see Tanasugarn up there.
Bartoli wll face Sugiyama - hopefully Sugiyama's experience will crush Bartoli whilst former young hopeful Tamira Paszek has basically lost her way and seems to be going down the drain. Alona Bondarenko will also be here. Alize cornet is the seed alongside Zvonareva but Cornet seems to have lost her momentum and with the threat of Jie Zheng I'm not sure if she can win. Hopefully Maria Kirilenko will have enough to beat the winner of that match and have a go at the semifinalist spot.
The tier 3 tournament doesn't seem much weaker than the Tier II, anyway Elena Dementieva head this draw - it seems like ages since she has done so. Anyway Anna Lena Groenefeld could be her biggest challenge in the early stages as I don't see Amelie Mauresmo making an impact. So I'd expect to see Dementieva in the final 4 at least. Hantuchova is one of the most unpredictable female players in the Top 20 so I wouldn't like to guess, but if she's on form her opponent aren't that difficult to tackle. My eyes will be pealed for Sorana Cirstea though. Garrigues and Wozniacki will probably head the most tight section of the draw. Shuai Peng and Vera Dushevina could be possible threats to the two making a clash - luckily the two will eliminate one another by playing in the first round. However I think Wozniacki is a safer bet for the semis spot. Finally we have Na Li! and Chakvetadze making a scene but Laura Robson is the centre of attention here. She doesn't have too difficult a draw so hopefully she could at least get to the 2nd round. But I think Na Li should have enough to get to the semis here seeing Chakvetadze will probably succumb to Na Li when they clash.
Oh yeah forgot to say it's great to see doubles partners play each other (Medina Garrigues Vs Ruano Pascual) - it's just interesting. Also I love that Dulko is partnering Robson in the doubles!
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