Are there still tennis fools, I mean fans, who subscribe to conspiracy theories about Grand Slam draws? You know, like Rafael Nadal being given a free ride to the Wimbledon final last year. If there are, they’ll be hard-pressed to explain why Justine Henin and Serena Williams, perhaps the two best women players in the world and winners of the last two Grand Slams, have been slotted to play in the quarterfinals for the second straight major. This is a drag for all concerned.
Anyway, we’ve got more than a week before we get to that, and there are 126 other players to consider. Actually, this being the women’s draw, we only have to worry about half a dozen. So let’s find out who they are, and where they are.
First Quarter
As stated above, this quarter is bracketed by the No. 1 seed, Henin, at the top and the seventh-seeded Williams at the bottom. In between, there’s an interesting first-round match between Daniela Hantuchova and world’s-best-junior Anastasia Paylyuchenkova of Russia (yes, the next set of pros’ names are going to be even harder to pronounce). But there isn’t much to stop another Williams/Henin showdown. Schnyder? Poutchkova? Stosur? Not bloody likely.
Who’s going to win this time? Henin and Williams have split their two matches this year, though Henin had match points before losing their first one, in Key Biscayne. Williams was oddly listless against her earlier this month in Paris, but that makes me think she won’t be the same way again. Serena’s game, even when it’s not at its best, has always been tough to handle on grass. Her simple, straight back, straight forward technique helps her. Henin, meanwhile, is riding high right now, having won the French Open and gotten a bit of revenge on Amélie Mauresmo, the woman who beat her last year at Wimbledon, this week in Eastbourne. While Serena will do whatever she can to avoid losing twice in a row to anyone, I don’t think it will be enough to fully shake Henin’s hard-earned confidence.
Semifinalist: Justine Henin
Second Quarter
For women’s tennis aficionados, this section offers its own hoped-for showdown, between Jelena Jankovic and Anna Chakvetadze (OK, you’ve got to be a pretty serious fan to be praying for that one). Jankovic, the third seed, has been knocking on the Grand Slam door for the last year, but Chakvetadze beat her on grass to win a title this weekend. The Serb may face a test from Lucie Safarova in the third round, and Chakvetadze could face the legend she most resembles, Martina Hingis, in the fourth. The Russian, who relies on guile more than power, may have her struggles, but I think she’ll make it to the quarters and give Jankovic a run there. Still, Jankovic started her resurgence at Wimbledon last year by beating Venus Williams; she hits hard and flat and equally well from both sides; and she’s become a reliable Slam performer, having reached two semifinals at the last three majors.
Semifinals: Jelena Jankovic
Third Quarter
I suppose you could say this section is loaded, though it probably won’t contain the tournament winner. At the top is Ana Ivanovic, at the bottom is Mauresmo, and in between are Nicole Vaidisova and Nadia Petrova. I don’t completely trust any of these players, though as the defending champion and woman with the most experience, Mauresmo has to be the favorite. The Frenchwoman is also at her best on grass, where she uses the whole court better than any of the other women here. But Mauresmo is still shaky after all these years; she flat-out choked against Henin when she served for the match in Eastbourne on Saturday. Vaidisova may be ready to take advantage of that and overpower her in the fourth round.
Semifinalist: Nicole Vaidisova
Fourth Quarter
The bottom half of this quarter may offer a continuation of the great screamfest known as Venus Williams vs. Maria Sharapova. While she’s had serving trouble, shoulder trouble, and an uncharacteristic dip in confidence this year, Sharapova still made the semifinals in Paris for the first time, on her least-favorite surface. Grass is her favorite surface, and Wimbledon inspires her. And while she’s taken a few lumps recently at the hands of the tour’s up-and-comers—Ivanovic thumped her at Roland Garros and Jankovic nipped her at the wire in Birmingham last week—she won’t have to face any of them here. After Williams, Sharapova may get Kuznetsova. Or she may not; you never know with Sveta. Either way, Maria will bring her fiercest game against whomever she faces. It may not be pretty, but it’s tough to beat on grass.
Semifinalist: Maria Sharapova
Semifinals: Henin d. Jankovic; Sharapova d. Vaidisova
Final: Henin d. Sharapova
