Venus recovers in time to avoid huge upset

PARIS - Venus Williams was cruising along with a ho-hum 6-3, 4-1 lead over her 35-year-old opponent at the French Open on Monday when suddenly everything went awry.

The double-faults piled up. The forehand errors did, too, and Williams lost six consecutive games to fall behind as a drizzle fell. The crowd was rooting for the underdog, applauding in unison every time 93rd-ranked Tzipora Obziler of Israel earned a point.

When the No. 8-seeded Williams would hit a winner, the sounds of approval emanated mainly from her personal guests. “Whooo!” one of her sisters kept yelling.

“I told the people in our box, ’Be quiet, so she can concentrate,”’ said Williams’ father and coach, Richard. “Venus is a great thinker and a great player. I wasn’t nervous at all.”

Eventually, six-time major champion Williams did manage to turn things back around quickly enough to pull out a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 victory over Obziler and reach the second round at Roland Garros before the rain grew heavier and washed out the latter part of the day’s schedule.

“I’m glad at the end that I figured it out,” Williams said.

Three-time defending men’s champion Rafael Nadal was supposed to follow her on center court, but his match never began. Among those who did play Monday was No. 1 Roger Federer, who wasn’t tested much in a 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sam Querrey of the United States.

“You never think you’re going to be the guy that’s going to draw him when the draw comes out,” the 40th-ranked Querrey said. “But someone has to.”

The day’s most significant upset was produced by another American, 106th-ranked Wayne Odesnik, who beat No. 29 Guillermo Canas of Argentina 7-6 (6), 7-6 (3), 7-6 (8). The match lasted the minimum number of sets yet took 3 hours, 46 minutes.

“There’s not too much to say. I think he played well,” said Canas, who’s lost his past six matches, all on clay. “I didn’t play well at all.”

The only other seeded man to exit on Day 2 was No. 17 Marcos Baghdatis, the 2006 Australian Open runner-up, who lost to Simone Bolelli of Italy in straight sets. Baghdatis always draws a big crowd at Roland Garros because he trains at a Paris tennis academy.

Another product of that academy is Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, the 16-year-old Russian who won a Grand Slam match for the first time by beating Maria Emilia Salerni of Argentina 6-1, 6-1.

“I just play. I don’t think about the results,” said Pavlyuchenkova, who recently finished high school and is the youngest player in the tournament.

Odesnik is only 22, yet he was exhausted after his match and was checked by a doctor. He credited recent work with a sports psychologist for helping him play well in all of those tiebreakers.

“On the big points, I thought I played more aggressive and executed my shots better,” said Odesnik, who was born in South Africa and moved to the United States as a toddler.

He’s been trying to improve his clay-court game lately with Felix Mantilla, a Spaniard once ranked as high as 10th. Odesnik actually calls clay his favorite surface, something that’s rare to hear from an American.

Querrey also doesn’t mind playing on the red stuff, although he also said he basically doesn’t pay too much attention to what is underfoot.

“He is a young player who is capable of playing a good match on clay,” Federer said, “so I’m glad it’s over.”

Querrey is 6-foot-6 and relies on his big serve, one that once produced 10 consecutive aces in a match. But Federer had little trouble getting serves back, limiting Querrey to six aces and compiling 12 break points, five of which he converted.

“He just seems like he gets the racket on everything,” Querrey said.

There are those, though, who wonder whether Federer is slipping a bit. Consider: The 12-time major champion already has lost seven matches this year, more than for the entire seasons of 2004, 2005 and 2006. He also has only one title so far.

“He’s still got all the shots of a No. 1 player,” Querrey said.

Querrey wanted to forget whom he was facing so he could relax.

“It’s hard. I mean, I’m still in awe of him,” the American said. “Sometimes he hits shots, you’re just like, ’I’ve seen that on TV a bunch of times.”’

Same goes for Williams, who used to be ranked No. 1 and has had stretches of brilliance, particularly at Wimbledon, but never has been all that successful at the French Open. This is the only Grand Slam tournament at which she’s been past the quarterfinals only once — in 2002, when she lost to sister Serena in the final.

Part of it is that clay dulls her stinging serve. Part of it is that moving around on clay is tough. Part of it is the sort of inconsistency on display in the middle of Monday’s match, when she kept slumping her shoulders and hanging her head after miscues.

“Venus can play a lot better than she did today,” her father said. “After she settled down, she pulled it out.”

He shed no light on whatever health issues might be troubling her. Venus Williams was off the tour for about a month this year after having medical tests. She hasn’t said what the tests were for — and even her father said he doesn’t know.

“Venus never talked to me about it, and I never asked her. The only thing I asked is, ’Are you sure it’s time to come back?’ And she said, ’Yes,”’ he said. “Does it have an affect on her or not? This I don’t know.”

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Harkleroad to be in Playboy magazine

PARIS - Ashley Harkleroad, the 61st-ranked American who lost to Serena Williams 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday in the first round of the French Open, said she posed for the August edition of Playboy magazine.

“I thought about it, and it was something that I did,” Harkleroad said after the match. “I’m proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete’s body.”

The 23-year-old noted other athletes who have appeared in the magazine, including Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and former volleyball player Gabrielle Reese.

“I’ll be the first tennis player ever. That’s kind of cool,” Harkleroad said.

“There’s a few reasons why I did it, but I can’t really go into it right now,” she added. “But like I said, I really didn’t think it was that big of a deal. I’m proud of my body. I stay in shape and try to stay fit.”

Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said she respected Harkleroad’s decision to pose for the men’s magazine, but ruled out her own pictorial.

“I can’t say right now it’s in any thought of my mind to be in that mag,” Williams said. “But I’m happy for her if that’s what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage.”

TOUGH MONTH
Eduardo Schwank has been through quite a bit the last few weeks, including a hotel fire that destroyed his laptop, passport, equipment and his winner’s check of $6,780 from a Challenger event in Rome.

On Sunday, the 75th-ranked Argentine overcame cramps in his Grand Slam debut to beat a former French Open champion — and guarantee himself at least $37,463 in prize money.

Schwank, playing in only his sixth tour-level event, beat 1998 champion Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (1), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. But before he could finish off his Spanish opponent, Schwank had to recover from cramps that left him lying in the red clay at Roland Garros.

“I did suffer cramps, and I was a bit nervous,” said Schwank, who was playing in a five-set match for the first time.

About two weeks ago, Schwank’s room at a hotel in Bordeaux, France, caught fire and the building had to be evacuated.

“We were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen. We were not paying much attention,” he said. “But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, ’Hey, it’s in your room.’

“So, of course, I turned blank. We tried to fix things, and everything’s not over yet. We have a lawyer managing all this.”

After arriving in Paris, Schwank had to win three qualifying matches to get his spot in the men’s field.

“We had to fight quite a lot, but I made it and I’m very happy,” Schwank said. “With this fire, maybe I could have left the tournament, but I went to the end and it turned out right.”

FIRST WIN
Andy Murray survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the French Open, winning his first match at the clay court major in his second attempt.

The 10th-seeded Briton beat wild card Jonathan Eysseric of France 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Eysseric turns 18 on Tuesday and is the youngest player in the men’s field.

“Obviously playing a young guy you’ve not seen takes a little bit of time to get used to,” Murray said. “I didn’t know how comfortable he was up at the net. I didn’t know how well he moved. He obviously moved very well and was not bad up at the net.”

Murray, who lost in the first round in 2006 in his only other appearance at Roland Garros, said he was playing despite a throat infection.

“I’ve been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I’ve not been too well,” Murray said. “I haven’t had much practice in the last five days. I was told to do half of what I would normally do. I had to make sure I wasn’t tiring myself out too much.”

getCSS("3053751")Slide show


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Collins: Venus could be Paris surprise

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsPARIS – It’s the general feeling that there is no clear-cut favorite in the women’s draw at the French Open after the unexpected and stunning retirement of three-time defending champion Justine Henin just 11 days before the start date of the season’s second major – and the only one of the sport’s four majors that is contested on clay.

When Henin announced her decision to pack her bags and go home to another life that doesn’t include playing tennis for a living, it opened the door for some top players to take home the championship at Roland Garros and here’s my five top challengers for the title: Serena Williams (my pick to win), Maria Sharapova, Ana  Ivanovic, Jelena Jankovic and yes, Venus Williams.

If I have learned one thing about the Williams sisters since they first joined the WTA tour it’s never to count them out of any tournament. In the past I and many others have counted them out of contention based on some circumstances that seemed to be working against them heading into tournaments and then they’ve gone on to prove all of us wrong. So I’m not about to do that again with Venus at the French Open.

When I take a look at Venus, who came into this Paris fortnight with just a few clay-court matches played this year -- three to be exact -- I still see her in a positive light.  A player like Venus doesn’t pay much attention to the surface she’s playing on. Venus doesn’t much care about the surface she’s performing on for any given tournament. Venus takes a look in front of her, sees a tennis court and says I can play and win on it so let’s go. She’s got that kind of confidence.

Venus, who is seeded eighth here, was certainly not in her best form in her first-round match at Roland Garros on Monday when she beat Israeli Tzipora Obziler 6-3, 4-6, 6-2.

Venus served poorly -- eight double faults, five of which came in the final set. I thought it somewhat discouraging that Venus allowed Obziler -- a 35-year-old player ranked No. 93, who is not nearly the quality of player Venus is by any stretch of the imagination -- take the match to a third set. That is a serious no-no, but Venus survived that risk.

There were some encouraging things about Venus’ performance against Obziler. Most importantly she came to the net quite a few times. That is great for her since she has long arms and so why not use such a great wingspan towards winning points off volleys. For years Billie Jean King, Venus’ one-time Federation Cup captain, tried to get her to do that -- get up there and force the play.

Looking at the big picture things could prove quite favorable for Venus the next couple of weeks in the City of Lights. She appears to be in a good mood and she has always been a huge fan of Paris. In my mind she came to this major with no pressure and that’s a good way to compete.

Venus and Serena never appear to feel much pressure at any tournament primarily because they have wonderful temperament. But if Venus was to be feeling pressure at a major it would be at Wimbledon later this year when she will be attempting to defend her title, something I believe she is very capable of doing.

When looking at Venus’ draw at Roland Garros it’s definitely fair to anticipate her reaching the quarterfinals, where if play holds to form she would come up against third-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia. If Venus gets past that match, she will likely be looking at either little sis – fifth-seeded Serena Williams or second-seeded Ana Ivanovic -- in the semifinals. While Venus might not be the favorite against either of those players in the semifinals there is no reason why she -- if playing top quality tennis -- couldn’t beat either Serena or Ana.

Only once (in 2002 when Serena beat her for the title) has Venus made the French Open final. It’s puzzling as to why Venus has not fared better on clay overall and especially at Roland Garros. She should have a better history in Paris  because she is way too good a player not to have made more than just one serious run at being the queen of this major.  

As far as a weakness for Venus on clay? Well, it’s probably the same thing she has fought against no matter what surface she is playing on. Venus tends at times to lose her concentration on the court. And the result of forgetting to pay attention to the task at hand is that Venus’ forehand goes south and she starts dumping balls into the net.

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Sound off on tennis discussion boards

y take on the Williams sisters going forward is that they can’t be dismissed no matter what the tournament and no matter what the circumstances involved. Venus at Wimbledon in 2005 and 2007 – well those are perfect examples of what I’m talking about -- she seemed down and persevered both years, summoning her game to a high level on the lawns and thus went on to win two more majors.  She simply has the stuff of champions and who am I to dispute that winning quality. 

So when asked if Venus can win the title at Roland Garros this year, I say, why not?

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Serena cruises into French second round

PARIS - Eight-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams advanced to the second round of the French Open, beating Ashley Harkleroad 6-2, 6-1.

The fifth-seeded Williams, the only woman in the field who has won the clay-court major, had a 10-0 edge in aces.

“I guess I do have pressure,” Williams said, “but I don’t put pressure on myself.”

She ceded the first two games before winning 6-2, 6-1 in a drizzle against 61st-ranked Ashley Harkleroad, an American who’ll appear in the August issue of Playboy.

“I’m just surprised she beat me to it,” Williams said with a hearty laugh. “Darn.”

Two-time Grand Slam runner-up Ana Ivanovic struggled before beating Sofia Arvidsson 6-2, 7-5.

The first seeded player to lose was No. 15 Nicole Vaidisova. She reached the French Open semifinals in 2006 and the quarterfinals last year, but was upset by Iveta Benesova 7-6 (2), 6-1.

The second-ranked Ivanovic, who became the first player representing Serbia to play in a major final at last year’s French Open, had six double-faults on center court and was broken by her Swedish opponent when serving for the first set at 5-1.

“I let my intensity go down for a bit ... and she used it and she started playing much better,” Ivanovic said. “But towards the end I’m happy that I found back my game and managed to break her back, and win the second set.”

Ivanovic, who reached the final at this year’s Australian Open, was also broken in the third game of the second set. In her next service game, while trailing 3-1, Ivanovic saved three break points before holding. Then, after breaking Arvidsson to get to 3-3, the Serb saved two more break points.

In the final game, Ivanovic hit two forehands down the line to break Arvidsson and win the match.

“In the end it was close, but I didn’t win the important points,” Arvidsson said.

Ivanovic also beat Arvidsson in the first round at Roland Garros last year, winning 6-2, 6-0 on her way to the final, where she lost to Justine Henin. The Belgian is not defending her title, having announced her retirement this month.

“Last year I just broke into top 10, and I had much less pressure, honestly speaking,” Ivanovic said. “Now I’m No. 2, and obviously I have more expectations for myself. So that’s something I’m still learning how to deal with it.”

Ivanovic will face Lucie Safarova in the second round. The Czech player beat Sandra Kloesel of Germany 6-1, 6-1.

Vaidisova reached the fourth round at the Australian Open, but she has now lost six straight matches.

“It’s always hard to play your best friend,” the 19-year-old Vaidisova said.

Vaidisova double-faulted on match point to put the 70th-ranked Benesova into the second round at Roland Garros for the fourth time.

In the first set, Benesova jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the tiebreaker.

“The key point of the first set was the tiebreaker,” Benesova said. “I knew I had to come in and try to attack her and make her move. I was going for the big shots and it was working.”

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Discuss: Sound off on tennis message boards

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Harkleroad to be in Playboy magazine

PARIS (AP) -Ashley Harkleroad, the 61st-ranked American who lost to Serena Williams 6-2, 6-1 on Sunday in the first round of the French Open, said she posed for the August edition of Playboy magazine.

"I thought about it, and it was something that I did,'' Harkleroad said after the match. "I'm proud of my body. I was representing a female athlete's body.''

The 23-year-old noted other athletes who have appeared in the magazine, including Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard and former volleyball player Gabrielle Reese.

"I'll be the first tennis player ever. That's kind of cool,'' Harkleroad said.

"There's a few reasons why I did it, but I can't really go into it right now,'' she added. "But like I said, I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm proud of my body. I stay in shape and try to stay fit.''

Williams, an eight-time Grand Slam champion, said she respected Harkleroad's decision to pose for the men's magazine, but ruled out her own pictorial.

"I can't say right now it's in any thought of my mind to be in that mag,'' Williams said. "But I'm happy for her if that's what she wanted to do. It takes a lot of courage.''

---

TOUGH MONTH: Eduardo Schwank has been through quite a bit the last few weeks, including a hotel fire that destroyed his laptop, passport, equipment and his winner's check of $6,780 from a Challenger event in Rome.

On Sunday, the 75th-ranked Argentine overcame cramps in his Grand Slam debut to beat a former French Open champion - and guarantee himself at least $37,463 in prize money.

Schwank, playing in only his sixth tour-level event, beat 1998 champion Carlos Moya 7-6 (4), 6-2, 6-7 (1), 4-6, 6-3 in the first round. But before he could finish off his Spanish opponent, Schwank had to recover from cramps that left him lying in the red clay at Roland Garros.

"I did suffer cramps, and I was a bit nervous,'' said Schwank, who was playing in a five-set match for the first time.

About two weeks ago, Schwank's room at a hotel in Bordeaux, France, caught fire and the building had to be evacuated.

"We were having breakfast and we heard the sirens and the firemen. We were not paying much attention,'' he said. "But all of a sudden, the hotel manager came to us, and said, 'Hey, it's in your room.'

"So, of course, I turned blank. We tried to fix things, and everything's not over yet. We have a lawyer managing all this.''

After arriving in Paris, Schwank had to win three qualifying matches to get his spot in the men's field.

"We had to fight quite a lot, but I made it and I'm very happy,'' Schwank said. "With this fire, maybe I could have left the tournament, but I went to the end and it turned out right.''

---

FIRST WIN: Andy Murray survived a five-set marathon in the first round of the French Open, winning his first match at the clay court major in his second attempt.

The 10th-seeded Briton beat wild card Jonathan Eysseric of France 6-2, 1-6, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2. Eysseric turns 18 on Tuesday and is the youngest player in the men's field.

"Obviously playing a young guy you've not seen takes a little bit of time to get used to,'' Murray said. "I didn't know how comfortable he was up at the net. I didn't know how well he moved. He obviously moved very well and was not bad up at the net.''

Murray, who lost in the first round in 2006 in his only other appearance at Roland Garros, said he was playing despite a throat infection.

"I've been on antibiotics since Tuesday and I've not been too well,'' Murray said. "I haven't had much practice in the last five days. I was told to do half of what I would normally do. I had to make sure I wasn't tiring myself out too much.''

Murray broke his 390th-ranked opponent twice in the first set Sunday to take an early lead. But Eysseric cut down his unforced errors and played more aggressively in the second set, while Murray was having trouble with his consistency.

"As a lefty, I'm a pain in the neck for anybody,'' Eysseric said. "I didn't think too much. I tried to play my own game. I had no specific tactics.''

Eysseric was playing in only his second Grand Slam tournament. He also lost in the first round at Roland Garros last year, falling to Olivier Patience 6-1, 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.

"Well, I think I did quite well. If you compare the two Roland Garros tournaments last year and this year, there is a huge difference,'' Eysseric said. "I went from four sets against Patience to five sets against Murray, which is great for me.''

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Collins: Blake’s goal is progress in Paris

getCSS("3315906")Bud CollinsPARIS - It would not be surprising if James Blake is getting good vibes this year at Roland Garros. Part of why could be the lack of pressure on him given his previous struggles on clay and at this major (read little is expected of him). Part of why could be a seemingly favorable draw and part of why could be that he’s playing better tennis then when he got to the Paris fortnight a year ago.

It’s too soon to be saying welcome back to the American men at Roland Garros but at least the seventh-seeded Blake put the U.S. on the map at this year’s event by winning his first- round match 6-4, 6-1, 7-6 against Rainer Schuettler. And that’s way more than we can say about how last year’s tournament went for the guys who were supposed to wave the red, white and blue as none reached the second round. The Yanks went 0-9 in first-round matches.

After beating Schuettler maybe Blake was having a little fun when he said the American male contingent of players at the season’s second major was already showing success because after last year’s early wipeout the bar had been set low enough that it could be cleared after just one win by Blake on the first day of play in Paris. It’s kind of humorous how winning one or two rounds on clay is regarded as improvement for the American guys, but that’s how it is these days.

Even this year as the top American in the draw courtesy of Andy Roddick staying home to nurse a right shoulder injury, Blake has no pressure on him from media and fans in his home country and I assume he is not putting any pressure on himself either. His first-round match against Schuettler was a bonus as the German has certainly dissipated from the days when he was the 2003 Australian Open finalist. If things go well for Blake here he could possibly make the second week. Oh, how U.S. tennis fans would relish that as it would be wonderful for them if Blake can get to the quarterfinals. Blake’s chances on clay are at least slightly better than they have been in the past as he attempts to surpass his best showing at Roland Garros, which was reaching the third round in 2006.

Blake will play talented Latvian Ernests Gulbis in the second round and could face crafty Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia in the third round. Other names of note in his quarter of the draw are Marcos Baghdatis, Michael Llodra, Tomas Berdych, Paul-Henri Matthieu, Guillermo Canas and Novak Djokovic.

Blake’s a top-10 player but at Roland Garros pretty much any match could be a danger zone for him. He looked fairly steady against Schuettler but the match also showed his vulnerabilities. He led in the final set 5-1 before pulling it out in the tiebreaker and I know that his Davis Cup Captain Patrick McEnroe was wondering why he allowed that monumental lead to slip. After the match Blake viewed what happened as something of a positive, saying that his opponent “played like the Schuettler of old” and that the German made him work for the win.

Blake said that his first-round match had its “ups and downs” and that he was happy he handled the down side well and walked off court a winner. I guess I’m willing to give that to him but it’s also fair to say that relatively speaking he had an easy day at the office against a not-so-great opponent.

I believe that Blake is a better player than he was last year and I credit his involvement in the winning Davis Cup team effort last year for making him a better player. Blake, Roddick and Bob and Mike Bryan worked very hard for many years to achieve that Davis Cup victory and having helped deliver a record 32nd Davis Cup title to the U.S. provided a tremendous boost of confidence for Blake.

This year Blake’s reached the final at Houston on that funny green stuff we Americans call clay. He also advanced to the quarterfinals in Rome on the traditional red clay, which is a pretty good showing. For the season, Blake has showed some consistency by also reaching the finals at Delray Beach, where he suffered an odd loss to newcomer Kei Nishikori of Japan. He also made it to the quarterfinals at the Australian Open, San Jose, Indian Wells and Miami.

From how he’s played in 2008 Blake has shown he is continuing to improve. I strongly subscribe to the theory that a player at age 28 like Blake is should still be getting better. Blake would help his chances by strengthening his net game. Instead of staying back and banging a lot of ground strokes I would like to see him use his capabilities and take short balls and come in -- if he would do that he’d make playing tennis much easier on himself.

Where the Americans most falter on clay is that they lack the patience for this style of tennis. They run out of patience and they try to hit a winner when the opportunity isn’t really there. And then there’s the issue that the American guys don’t truly know how to slide well on the surface. But considering that Blake grew up on hard courts, he’s doing fairly well on this gritty stuff.

It’s not like American men have always struggled at the French Open. The greatest generation of American players was quite adept on the surface. Jim Courier won Roland Garros twice and Michael Chang and Andre Agassi won it once. And even Pete Sampras threatened for a title here by reaching the semifinals once in his career. These accomplishments in no way should embarrass today’s group of U.S. male players but the last generation of guys were simply better players -- Hall of Famers to be sure.

  ALSO ON THIS STORY  Sound off on tennis discussion boards

When I look at Blake it’s fair to say that he may have hit his career ceiling. But that’s not a negative at all. If he has hit his ceiling it’s a very comfortable ceiling where he can stay in the top 10, make a lot of money and experience some very pleasurable moments on the court. But I don’t feel he’s likely to win a major -- that ship has probably sailed for him. But his career is a fine one, it’s far from over, and the challenge at present is making hay on clay.

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Austin: Serena a top threat in Paris

getCSS("3315906")Tracy AustinEleven days before the start of the season’s second major the news came that Justine Henin, the No. 1 ranked player on the WTA Tour and the three-time defending French Open champion, was retiring effective immediately. A shocker indeed and a loss for the sport.

In the wake of Henin’s exit is left a wide open French Open with fifth-seeded Serena Williams the only woman in the draw who has won a title at Roland Garros. With Henin gone, Serena has a good shot at repeating that feat.

Clay is not a favorite surface for top seeded Maria Sharapova but the Russian star could come away a Paris champion as she’s up for the challenge of winning the only major she has not yet conquered.

Two others who look like they could take the title are Serbs Jelena Jankovic, the third seed, and Ana Ivanovic, seeded second.

Serena looking title worthy
Serena hasn’t played Paris in two of the last three years but did make the quarterfinals last year before Henin ended her run on dirt. Serena is fitter than she has been in a long time. She’s had her best pre-Paris preparation since 2002 – the year she emerged as the Queen of the clay fortnight. Serena’s not only comfortable playing on the dirt, she’s motivated to do so and that motivation – as we’ve seen at times over the course of her career and most recently at the 2007 Australian Open – can carry her to a title.

On the dirt Serena benefits from her athleticism, which helps her to move very well on the surface. She’s excellent at quickly changing direction and sliding into her shots. She has a terrific combination of patience and power and can add in the angles to widen the court on clay, which helps her to outmaneuver her opponents. On clay Serena realizes it’s not all a power game that succeeds but a thinking one as well. Crafting points on clay is key and Serena excels at that.

Maria counting on her serve
Sharapova does not move as well as Serena on dirt but she possesses an awesome game on any surface. She relies so much on her power and on her ability to get that first strike on her serve and her return of serve so she can draw an advantage in the point. On clay she must play good defense because the surface is one where players can get themselves out of trouble and get back into points and doing this will be key for the Russian.

Sharapova’s game is so sound, her technique so good and she hits with such depth that if she serves big she could leave Paris a champion. Serving big will enable her to get a lot of first strikes against opponents, who then won’t be moving her around the court -- something she wants to avoid since she doesn’t fare all that well when scrambling around on the dirt.

Earlier in her career Sharapova wasn’t at all comfortable on clay. But while it will never be her favorite surface she is getting more comfortable on it with each passing year. The more time she spends playing on dirt, the better she’ll feel about making the surface work for her.

Jankovic looks ready for feat of clay
The Serb is a rising star who has never won a major so she has yet to answer the question of whether she can win seven matches over a two-week span when the stakes are at their highest. Working in her favor is that she likes playing on clay and moves extremely well on the surface impressively sliding into her shots.

She has to draw confidence from her strong showing at a warm-up event in Rome where she took a tough three-setter from Venus Williams on her way to the title. Jankovic is a real tough customer on the dirt who makes opponents work hard for every point. When she’s in a good mindset and feels ready to grind out matches on clay, she’s extremely difficult to beat. Making the semifinals at the French Open last year sends a message she can’t be overlooked when it comes to top title contenders.

Another big run from Ana?
Last year Ivanovic made it to the Paris final before losing to Henin. It was only her third French Open appearance. Her play has been spotty this season but there is no denying that she has the weapons in her game to beat any opponent on a given day. She is not a great mover on clay but is still a tough opponent on the surface.

She has the talent and skills to be a champion in Paris. Her biggest challenge is to handle the pressure that comes with the high expectations that surround her game. Her chances at a championship this fortnight may be hurt because before Roland Garros she played just five matches on clay. Her confidence may also be a bit shaken by clay losses to Elena Dementieva at the German Open and qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova in Rome.

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Venus and Svetlana
Venus Williams is seeded eighth and while I don’t see her winning the clay major she could get to the second week and the quarterfinals where if the tournament plays to form she would meet up with Jankovic. Venus has made the French Open final only once and that was in 2002 when she lost the title match to sister Serena.

Clay is not a great surface for Venus and that may be because she is longer limbed than most players and they can work against her when having to abruptly change directions. She has played just three matches on clay this year so that is another factor that could work against her. She also has played in only five tournaments.

One other player to closely watch is fourth seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova, a French Open finalist in 2006, who is helped on clay by her ability to move around the court. An opponent really has to have a good day to beat the Russian on this surface. She’s very athletic and has a big forehand – two definite advantages on clay.

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