Since Trisco has been so kind to provide a RG forum I thought i'd start the ball rolling with the inevitable question!

Get the feeling the answer might be a bit predictable though!

Mmm... interesting results so far..

For the purposes of the poll, at least, I'm going to wax Brad Gilbert-esque and make a bold prediction on the off-chance I look like a genius later for saying so--I went with Jankovic.

She's proven that she can beat any non-Belgian player on the tour on her day, and she's given Henin a run for her money several times. (She has yet to beat Sharapova, whom she hasn't faced since 2005, but I think even if they did meet now it would go the Serb's way--especially on the clay!) If she can stay fit and avoid fatigue, which I think she can what with the day off between matches and what should be some easy wins in the early going, she has to be on the short list of contenders.

It threatened to be a Serena v Henin show, but given that they can actually meet in a QF if unlucky enough to be drawn in the same section (kind of like what happened with Petrova when the Russian was an outside favourite, though of course she went out early anyhow), there has to be someone else besides these two to pick up the slack. The Schnyder loss also makes me wonder if the American has had enough preparation, especially since she hasn't played this event in three years.

The votes for Jankovic are no surprise - she's in great form and is definitely capable of beating anyone in the draw but I think there are huge questions about her mentality in the big occasion.

Ok as she herself has said Henin is the only one that she seems to have the permanant block against but given that she can't get past that in Tier I & Tier II events you wonder how she's going to do it in a slam semi or final?

Also she has wobbled against other players when it's been tight in the past - look at the final of Sydney this year which she really should have won.

I'm a big fan of Jelena but think she might need a win against Justine outside a slam before she can pull it off in the big event.

But Vaidisova?????????????

Ok she did well last year but she's only played one match since Miami and she lost that!

i want a Serena win obviously, but i have a sneaky feeling Kuzzy is going to add to her USO win this year....

That's why I specified non-Belgian players. Obviously she has deep-seated issues surrounding that country. :P

In seriousness you raise a good point, but I think from her own comments as you say she is well aware of the block, which I believe will make her even more motivated to get the better of Henin when they meet again, especially if it happens in Paris. I don't think Jankovic wants to become the next Kuznetsova, or the next Mauresmo as far as the big stage goes. We'll just have to see how it plays out. I will say I would 150% prefer to see her go out tamely to Henin in a semi than have a mystifying early exit or (worse) one of her many retirements.

Well no prizes for guessing who I voted for :lol:

But still I do think in many ways, losing early in Rome could work in Serena's favour. If she had won Rome, even without having to beat Henin her odds to win would have shortened dramatically and there would have been a huge amount of pressure on her.

Whereas I think now, perhaps not everyone is expecting as much and it takes the edge off the attention on her. If she didn't have a top 8 seeding then I might not be so optimistic but as it is, she has 3 matches to play herself into the tournie, then a winnable fourth round match, before the quarters. So I think she will at least live up to her seeding. Once she's played herself into the tournament, who knows how far it can go.

Plus Henin hasn't looked as invincible this year on clay, I know she mainly lost in Berlin because of scheduling issues, but her serve in particular hasn't looked all that secure, Jankovic broke it many times.

Of course the other two title picks would be Jankovic and Kuzzy. They could beat anyone also. I tend to lean more towards Serena and Henin however as they have the mental edge at slams...plus they're better when on song :lol:

All that said, whoever wins RG this year will more than likely have to take out Justine, so whichever way you look at it, it ain't easy. I don't think Justine will win it in straight sets this year though, put it that way.

I would love to see a match between them at RG - their matches are always so tight.

My one worry about the Henin v Jankovic rivalry is that once Jelena has the first win the momentum will shift completely - similarly to Henin's record against Davenport!

In some ways i'd prefer a Henin v Jankovic final to a Henin v Serena one. Though Henin beating Serena in a grand slam final would be great to see!

Yeah I was going to mention that :wacko:

She wasn't even a cert for the French Open at one point....

If she get's to the quarters I would consider it mission accomplished.

No it wouldn't :( :( :cry:

I definitely agree that it won't be won in straight sets!

This year RG should be a lot more exciting than last - let's face it after Petrova went out last year there was no one who looked capable of beating Justine.

This year we have 4 players I reckon can win this.

Justine, Serena, Jankovic & Kuznetsova.

Hopefully Serena will end up in Sharapova's quarter and we'll get them all in the semis!

If Maria even gets to the quarters, she could choke to Safina for the 2nd year in a row :P

Oh I don't think she will just that I don't want Serena to play any of the other contenders in the QF's! I'm sure she can beat whoever comes out of Sharapova's section!

Well maybe not Patty Schnyder :P

Serena :D

But it should be very exciting, I actually think Sveta will slump out early, she's had some shaky moments this clay season, like losing to Bondarenko in Warsaw...

I'd love it if Venus landed in Justine's section because I've been wanting to see that match-up for ages, Ivanovic and Petrova may suprise also, should be a good one :D

If she got Patty I would actually be very scared :hide: Especially seeing as Patty now leads their clay head to head 2-0 and keeps taking Serena out in the quarters :unsure:

Patty has just pulled out of Istanbul though, and im still not sure Petrova is fully fit

Hmm yes, not sure what Patty's injury is, hopefully it will be better for RG.

Just as a side note to this. Here are what the top 16 seedings should look like (Vaidisova could still withdraw)

1 HENIN, JUSTINE
2 SHARAPOVA, MARIA
3 KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA
4 JANKOVIC, JELENA
5 MAURESMO, AMELIE
6 VAIDISOVA, NICOLE
7 IVANOVIC, ANA
8 WILLIAMS, SERENA
9 CHAKVETADZE, ANNA
10 SAFINA, DINARA
11 PETROVA, NADIA
12 HANTUCHOVA, DANIELA
13 DEMENTIEVA, ELENA
14 SCHNYDER, PATTY
15 PEER, SHAHAR
16 LI, NA

Given the way the draw works - the potential 4th round match ups are


1 HENIN, JUSTINE
2 SHARAPOVA, MARIA
3 KUZNETSOVA, SVETLANA
4 JANKOVIC, JELENA

Versus

13 DEMENTIEVA, ELENA
14 SCHNYDER, PATTY
15 PEER, SHAHAR
16 LI, NA

and

5 MAURESMO, AMELIE
6 VAIDISOVA, NICOLE
7 IVANOVIC, ANA
8 WILLIAMS, SERENA

Versus

9 CHAKVETADZE, ANNA
10 SAFINA, DINARA
11 PETROVA, NADIA
12 HANTUCHOVA, DANIELA

So Serena can't meet Patty until the QF's - None of Serena's potential 4th round opponents look trickier than any of the others.

Can't see Justine worrying too much about any of those she could face in the 4th round - perhaps Schnyder but they haven't met since Patty beat her in Charleston last year and Justine tends to get highly motivated in situations like that.

Oh and if anyone does still pull out Srebotnik comes in as the 16th seed.

I'd like Serena to get Chakvetadze, but I'm not worried about any of those...

I'm not so sure about Justine's though GS, Patty, Shahar and Elena could be tricky, Li would be a good draw, Justine tends to play better against the hard, flat hitters, players like Patty can cause her trouble...

Patty probably won't reach round 3 though :wacko:

Justine's H2H against Elena is pretty good though & outside of 2004 Dementieva's record here is pretty poor.

Justine has only lost to Patty once (on clay true) but has also destroyed her on clay (Warsaw & Berlin 2005)

Justine thrashed Peer last time they met (US Open 06) and Peer hasn't really looked that great lately.

Li Na has also disappointed recently.

I don't think any of them will be easy but I can't see her losing to any of them.

I think Kuzzy could be more in danger of those players in the fourth round than anyone. Especially a Peer type character :shrug:

well im sure Petrova will give this one up and concentrate on her wimbledon celebrations anyway :lol:

Aww I thought she was targetting the RG/Wim double :(

There's a thought.

Kuznetsova will be hoping not to land Peer in the 4th round given her record against her.

I would have thought Schnyder would cause Sharapova the worst problems.

Patty had mps against Justine in Doha earlier this year, if anyone is going to beat Justine, it's going to be someone who can disrupt her rhythm like Patty, same with Peer, Dementieva will probably get creamed by her, but she's so unpredictable, who knows...

At least when the draw comes out tomorrow all this will be slightly less hypothetical :lol:

Looking forward to the draw, I think I'll wait until after then to vote.

This one is really hard to call, personally I think it's between Henin and Serena, I just don't think Jankovic has proven she's mentally tough enough to pull off a win on the big stage.

Between Henin and Serena it's too hard to call.

Who voted for Vaidisova? Has Dl been online today? roflmao

Seriously. And we'll be able to follow it live like last year, too.

The women's draw starts at 1215 CEST, though a time is given of 1130 for the whole thing.

I tend to worry about about Kutznetsova in the Semi's and finals... b4 that...
she tends to play well regardless of the opponents albeit still with some unexpected errors.... But her play in semi's and finals this year even on the clay has been quite atrocious... The fire power and speed is still there.... but the grit wanes as she gets closer to the prize....

Schynder troubling sharapova will be pretty much up to which sharapova shows up this...year.... As serena w19 mentioned in anothrer thread if it is anything like last year... it will be a rather dull disgraceful affair again for the number 2 seed...

As for Nadia her serving on clay has been quite good this year....but she is quite impatient with the rest of her game.....but so long as the serve is clicking who knows.....

Serena Justine Jelena...I am not too sure....they all stand a good chance...but on clay your mental faculties are tasked greatly so I'll put it down to whosoever really wants to stand and fight...... Jelena could get to the semis finals will be a big plus for her.... But such things can only happen at the french......maybe Ana ivanovic might be playing Peer or Schynder in the final.... now that would be one final ...elena would wish she had been a part of....

Aw man! I accidentally clicked Vaidisova but i meant to click Mauresmo :P

So now we have two voted for Vaidisova :rolleyes: roflmao

Surprised that Justine isn't leading the poll atm though :huh:

I went for Ivanovic :whistle:

In all honesty, I'd be happy for Ana to fulfil her seeding and reach the QF, and I think a SF is as far as I could see her getting, with a nice draw.

As for the actual winner, well Henin will be the favourite. The only person I could see beating her would be Serena, but she's just as likely to crash out to a lesser player - the further she goes, the more I'd fancy her though.

In terms of good runs, I'd like to see Jankovic do well, but I have a feeling she might disappoint. Kuznetsova (zzzzz) will no doubt go far but won't win it. Peer, Vaidosova and Chakvetadze have a great chance of making the quarters but when it comes to playing a big gun, I don't think any of them quite have it in them to pull it off. Safina and Petrova will probably flatter to deceive, but if they go on a good run it'll take a fine player to halt them. Mauresmo will choke and Venus will go out early.

Not really a fan of women's tennis, but I think this tournament could be interesting; especially compared to the 2 weeks of warmup matches we'll have in the men's before Nadal beats Federer in the final.

roflmao

Interesting what you say about Safina and Petrova, although Safina can really be so hot and cold at the moment I wouldn't bet on her going that far even if she thrashed Henin. :P

I see glimpses of Marat in Dinara, she's one of the few high ranked youngsters who I think could burst through and take a Slam out of almost nowhere (the others being Ana and Vaidisova).

Forgot to mention Sharapova :lol: She'll battle well and should progress to the 4th round, but once she's there, she'll lose to the first form player she meets.

Na Li's another one who could have a good run, I know clay shouldn't favour her game, but when she's "on", she's explosive. She can also be awful though, which is why she'll go no further than the QF. Most likely, a 3rd or 4th round exit, which is a shame, I like her. :)

Wasn't sure who to vote for out of Serena and Justine really. But went for Justine as she has won it 3 out of the last 4 years..... too close to call really I think...

Bit of a long shot given that Henin & Serena are going to be there but I'm going for Jankovic. That said, I've probably now jinxed her :blink:

Its between those first four really isn't it...

Henin, Serena, Jankovic, Kuznetsova.

I voted Serena though. Why? Well, normally I would have gone for Henin-Hardenne, but she's not been in invincible form in the run up to Roland Garros. Clay is not Serena's strongest surface, but she was so ruthlessly dominant at Aus Open this year I think she can thrive on it.

I'd quite like a Serena v Henin final (if the draw allows it), with Serena getting revenge on Henin Hardenne for that infamous match a few years back.

who will win - henin
who i want to win - hantuchova
who could win - kuznetsova