Roland Garros: Day 5 wrap-up

Nothing too surprising from Day 5 as most seeds went through.

Singles - Second Round
(4) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. Urszula Radwanska (POL) 61 63
(7) Li Na (CHN) d. Stéphanie Foretz Gacon (FRA) 60 62
(9) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) 61 64
(10) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. Olga Govortsova (BLR) 63 62
(14) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) 26 63 61
Klara Zakopalova (CZE) d. (16) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 64 36 63
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) d. (19) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 76(4) 46 64
(22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Melinda Czink (HUN) 46 63 63
(23) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) 64 61
(25) Julia Goerges (GER) d. (Q) Heather Watson (GBR) 63 64
(28) Peng Shuai (CHN) d. Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) 64 63
Christina McHale (USA) d. (Q) Lauren Davis (USA) 61 63
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. (LL) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) 46 64 61
Arantxa Rus (NED) d. Virginie Razzano (FRA) 63 76(3)
Nina Bratchikova (RUS) d. (WC) Claire Feuerstein (FRA) 36 63 75
(Q) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 61 60

Shockers:

Klara Zakopalova (CZE) d. (16) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) 64 36 63

Talk about winning the important points. Klara Zakopalova won just one more point than Maria Kirilenko in the whole match but won the match. Winning just one more break point than her opponent, Klara edged out the 16th seed to take her place in the 3rd round. Klara Zakopalova has always been a clean striker of the ball but she's been lack down by her lack of desire. Even when winning easily, she is always sulking. If only she can show more passion, she can be a steady top 30 player. As for Kirilenko, she finishes her unimpressive clay season. Quite a let-down after some good showings in the earlier part of the year.

Varvara Lepchenko (USA) d. (19) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) 76(4) 46 64

Serving for the set at 5-2 and 6-5 and manages to lose the first set. Serving to stay in the match and manages to lose her serve. It seems like Jelena Jankovic has lost all her mental strength. If Svetlana is a has-been, Jelena will be a had-been. There must be something going on with her. Nobody plays this bad for no reason. Maybe she's lost the passion, maybe she has other priorities in her life now, we'll never know. I hope Jelena is prepared for her post-tennis life because I don't think she will bother to dwell in challengers to get her ranking back.

(Q) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) 61 60

What a thrashing. Yaroslava dishes out a breadstick and a bagel for Sofia Arvidsson. Shvedova was never broken in the set and is so dominant that Sofia didn't even have a break point in the second set. This is a far cry from what happened last year as Yaroslava was struggling with injuries and free-falling down the rankings. Shvedova is a competent clay-courter as evidenced by her quarter-final shwoing here 2 years ago until injuries derailed her. Now at a humble ranking of 142, she fought through qualifying and looks set to make an impact here. She will face a tougher test in Carla Suarez Navarro next round and hopefully she will continue her good form.

Roland Garros: Day 6 preview

All 2nd round matches are finished except for Maria Sharapova's. Well, as if we don't already know the result to that one.

Day 6 schedule kicks off with 3rd round action:

Sloane Stephens(USA) v. Mathilde Johansson(FRA)
Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[3] v. Svetlana Kuznetsova[26]
Sara Errani(ITA)[21] v. Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[13]
Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[1] v. Aleksandra Wozniak(CAN)
Nadia Petrova(RUS)[27] v. Samantha Stosur(AUS)[6]
Angelique Kerber(GER)[10] v. Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[18]
A. Medina Garrigues(ESP)[29] v. Petra Martic(CRO)
Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP) v. Dominika Cibulkova(SVK)[15]
Ayumi Morita JPN v. Maria Sharapova RUS (2)
Match focus:

Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[3] v. Svetlana Kuznetsova[26]

Believe it or not, Svetlana owns Agnieszka. She leads the heads to heads 9-3 and won their last 5 matches. Will Svetlana pull off the upset here or will Radwanska be too steady for the Russian? Sorry Sveta, you are a has-been now. I don't see any way out for the Russian as Radwanska is too confident and too steady now.

Pick: Radwanska in 2 sets

Nadia Petrova(RUS)[27] v. Samantha Stosur(AUS)[6]

Big servers collide in this 3rd round clash. Nadia upset Samantha earlier this year in Indian Wells with a tight 3 set victory and actually leads the head to head 5-2. However, they have never met on clay before which is currently Sam's favourite playground. If their last two matches were any indications, there is bound to be a tiebreak involved. Crazy Nadia will always bring her best against the top players but suck against unknowns. Will peak Nadia emerge?

Pick: Stosur in 3 sets

Angelique Kerber(GER)[10] v. Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[18]

Intriguing match between these 2 players. Flavia leads the heads to heads 2-1 and won their most recent meeting in Auckland in January. But Kerber won the most important meeting which was in US Open last year where she beat Pennetta to advance to the semi-finals. Flavia did win their only match on clay last year but it's hard to write off the German who is riding high on confidence and looking to cement her spot in the top 10. Besides, Flavia just came back from an injury and might not be match tough yet.

Pick: Kerber in 3 tight sets

Sure win bets: Maria Sharapova (again), Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska
Upset alert: Anabel Medina Garrigues

Roland Garros: Day 5 preview

Day 5 rounds up 2nd round action as the next 16 players will emerge.

Court Philippe Chatrier
11:00 AM Start

Jarkko Nieminen(FIN) vs. Andy Murray(GBR)[4]
Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS) vs Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[9]
Paul-Henri Mathieu(FRA) vs John Isner(USA)[10]
Ayumi Morita(JPN) vs Maria Sharapova(RUS)[2]

Court Suzanne Lenglen
Urszula Radwanska(POL) vs. Petra Kvitova(CZE)[4]
Not Before:12:00 PM
Cedrik-Marcel Stebe(GER)vs. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga(FRA)[5] To Finish 2-6 6-4 1-1
Denis Istomin(UZB)vs.Rafael Nadal(ESP)[2]
Na Li(CHN)[7] vs.Stephanie Foretz Gacon(FRA)
Grigor Dimitrov(BUL) vs. Richard Gasquet(FRA)[17]

Court 1
David Ferrer(ESP)[6]vs. Benoit Paire(FRA)
Not Before:12:00 PM
David Goffin(BEL)vs.Arnaud Clement(FRA) To Finish 3-6 7-6(2) 0-6 6-2 5-1
Francesca Schiavone(ITA)[14]vs. Tsvetana Pironkova(BUL)
Dmitry Tursunov(RUS)vs. Julien Benneteau(FRA)[29]
Virginie Razzano(FRA) vs. Arantxa Rus(NED)

Court 2
Maria Kirilenko(RUS)[16] vs. Klara Zakopalova(CZE)
Marcos Baghdatis(CYP) vs. Nicolas Almagro(ESP)[12]
Janko Tipsarevic(SRB)[8] vs. Jeremy Chardy(FRA)
Heather Watson(GBR) vs. Julia Goerges(GER)[25]

Court 3
Jesse Levine(USA) vs. Milos Raonic(CAN)[19]
Not Before:12:00 PM
Olga Govortsova(BLR) vs. Angelique Kerber(GER)[10] To Finish 2-1
Varvara Lepchenko(USA) vs. Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[19]
Marcel Granollers(ESP)[20] vs. Malek Jaziri(TUN)
Shuai Peng(CHN)[28] vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino(ESP)

Court 5
Liga Dekmeijere(LAT) /Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA) vs.Raquel Kops-Jones(USA)[10]/Abigail Spears(USA)[10]
Robin Haase(NED) vs. Mikhail Youzhny(RUS)[27]
Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP) vs. Sesil Karatantcheva(KAZ)
Flavia Pennetta(ITA) /Francesca Schiavone(ITA) vs. Angelique Kerber(GER) /Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)

Court 6
Juan Monaco(ARG)[13] vs. Lukas Rosol(CZE)
Not Before:12:00 PM
Viktor Troicki(SRB)[28] vs. Fabio Fognini(ITA)To Finish 2-6 6-3
Kaia Kanepi(EST)[23] vs. Irina-Camelia Begu(ROU)
Christina McHale(USA) vs. Lauren Davis(USA)
Sergiy Stakhovsky(UKR) vs. Tommy Haas(GER)

Court 7
Bernard Tomic(AUS)[25] vs. Santiago Giraldo(COL)
Nina Bratchikova(RUS) vs. Claire Feuerstein(FRA)
Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)[24] vs. Leonardo Mayer(ARG)
Sofia Arvidsson(SWE) vs. Yaroslava Shvedova(KAZ)

Court 17
Melinda Czink(HUN)vs.Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova(RUS)[22]Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo(ESP) /Albert Ramos(ESP) vs. Michael Llodra(FRA)[3] /Nenad Zimonjic(SRB)[3]
Florian Mayer(GER)[32] vs Eduardo Schwank(ARG)
Amandine Hesse(FRA) /Michael Llodra(FRA)vs. Nuria Llagostera Vives(ESP) /Oliver Marach(AUT)
Match focus:

Jarmila Gajdosova(AUS) vs Caroline Wozniacki(DEN)[9]

With Serena ousted (WTF Serena?), Caroline Wozniacki emerges as the favourite of that quarter. Her unimpressive form aside, the Dane will still be the one to beat with her status as a former number 1. Jarmila Gajdosova is an unpredictable opponent whose balls often find the fences of the court rather than in the court. But still, when she's on her game, she's scary. Caroline will have to engage Jarmila in long rallies until the Australian tries a ridiculous shot.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 easy sets

Varvara Lepchenko(USA) vs. Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[19]

Struggling Jelena meets relatively in-form Varvara Lepchenko in this 2nd round clash. Poor Jelena. I have just noticed from the photo above that she's not wearing Anta anymore. The Chinese sportwear company must have dropped her after her dire form this season. Besides, with the bankruptcy of Prince, she using a brandless racket. Well, I'm sure her struggles will continue is she goes down to Lepchenko, a quarter-finalist in Madrid a few weeks ago. Jelena needs to start believing in herself, or else it's easy pickings for Varvara.

Pick: Lepchenko in 3 sets

Shuai Peng(CHN)[28] vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino(ESP)

Peng faces Spanish moonballer, Lourdes Dominguez Lino in round 2. Dominguez Lino is well-known for doing absolutely nothing with the ball. She is content with running around the court all day just retrieving balls. Peng needs to be patient and wait for the right moment to strike or else she will blow herself out of the tournament. With Peng still struggling with her injuries, it's tough to see her pull this out with her restricted movement. Sadly, anti-tennis will prevail in this match.

Pick: Dominguez Lino in 3 sets

Sure win bets: Maria Sharapova, Petra Kvitova, Li Na
Upset alerts: Jelena Jankovic, Peng Shuai, Sofia Arvidsson

Roland Garros Day 4 wrap-up

Round 2 action has commenced!

Singles - Second Round
(1) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. (Q) Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) 61 61
(3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Venus Williams (USA) 62 63
(6) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Irina Falconi (USA) 61 64
Petra Martic (CRO) d. (8) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 62 36 63
(13) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. Shahar Peer (ISR) 62 62
(15) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. Vania King (USA) 60 62
(18) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. (Q) Alexa Glatch (USA) 63 61
María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (20) Lucie Safarova (CZE) 64 75
(21) Sara Errani (ITA) d. (WC) Melanie Oudin (USA) 62 63
Mathilde Johansson (FRA) d. (24) Petra Cetkovska (CZE) 76(1) 62
(26) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. (Q) Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) 64 76(4)
(27) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) 63 63
(29) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. (WC) Irena Pavlovic (FRA) 63 62
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. (31) Zheng Jie (CHN) 62 64
Sloane Stephens (USA) d. Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) 61 61

Match analysis:

(3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Venus Williams (USA) 62 63

And Radwanska slays the big American easily in 2 quick sets. The Williams sisters are bounced out of the tournament. This is their earliest exit from a Grand Slam tournament ever since they started playing professional tennis. Venus never seemed to be really in this match from the start, getting broken in her first game and looked lost and stranded. Maybe she's having a relapse from her autoimmune disease. She gave the crowd something to cheer for down a set and 1-5 down when she won 2 games in a row. But it was not meant to be as she ended the match when she dumped a forehand into the net. Much easier than expected for Radwanska as she continues her march. As for Venus, her favourite part of the season is coming so I'm sure she will be eager to perform well on grass.

Petra Martic (CRO) d. (8) Marion Bartoli (FRA) 62 36 63

Petra Martic surprised me as she took out Marion Bartoli in 3 sets. I was expecting Marion to do that to her but she proved to be mentally stronger. Marion's last year performance was a fluke. Clay will never be her surface as it exposes her poor movement. And her poor service doesn't help things at all. She served 15 double faults in this match alone. Don't really know what's going on with her, hopefully it's not a injury. Petra Martic has a nice game. Smooth service and a big forehand. Her variety is another strong point as she drive the ball or do an occasional drop shot just as well. Maybe she is the modern day Patty Schnyder. Let's hope she doesn't end up under-achieving like the Swiss lass. Next round for Petra is Anabel Medina Garrigue. Very winnable indeed.

María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (20) Lucie Safarova (CZE) 64 75

Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez goes from struggling to beat a journeywoman to beating a top 30 player. What an unpredictable player. Not to mention before Roland Garros, she has only won 2 matches this year. Judging by the statistics, it seems like it was more of Lucie playing utter crap then Maria Jose playing well. I mean Lucie only won 32% of her net points. Lucie is not a competent volleyer. So I guess she must have been driven crazy by Maria Jose's drop shots. Anyway, it's not like Lucie is a consistent player herself.

Rest of the matches went as expected except for Zheng, who was "upset" by Aleksandra Wozniak. Also, Petra Cetkovska continues her erratic form as she falls to Frenchwomam, Mathilde Johansson who is notorious for her chokes and mental fragility. Well done Mathilde I guess. Has she finally found her solution to her inner demons? We shall see.

Roland Garros: Day 4 preview

WTF Serena... Well, the tournament goes on...

Round 2:

Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[1] v. Dinah Pfizenmaier(GER)
Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[3] v. Venus Williams(USA)
Mathilde Johansson(FRA) v. Petra Cetkovska(CZE)[24]
Petra Martic(CRO) v. Marion Bartoli(FRA)[8]
Irina Falconi(USA) v. Samantha Stosur(AUS)[6]
A. Medina Garrigues(ESP)[29] v. Irena Pavlovic(FRA)
Shahar Peer(ISR) v. Ana Ivanovic(SRB)[13]
Angelique Kerber(GER)[10] v. Olga Govortsova(BLR)
Sara Errani(ITA)[21] v. Melanie Oudin(USA)
Alexa Glatch(USA) v. Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[18]
Bethanie Mattek-Sands(USA) v. Sloane Stephens(USA)
Aleksandra Wozniak(CAN) v. Jie Zheng(CHN)[31]
Lucie Safarova(CZE)[20] v. Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez(ESP)
Vania King(USA) v. Dominika Cibulkova(SVK)[15]
Yung-Jan Chan(TPE) v. Svetlana Kuznetsova(RUS)[26]
Nadia Petrova(RUS)[27] v. Chanelle Scheepers(RSA)
Match focus:

Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[3] v. Venus Williams(USA)

Who would have expected Venus to be still in contention but not Serena. But Venus faces a tough test against wily Agnieszka Radwanska. The Pole easily took out Venus in Miami with a straight sets victory and looks set to do the same here. However, Venus won their only meeting on clay 3 years ago in Rome. So who will gain the upper hand? I'm going to go with the steady Pole. She is too consistent and Venus will be too eager to win this match, spraying uncharacteristics errors.

Pick: Radwanska in straight sets

Petra Martic(CRO) v. Marion Bartoli(FRA)[8]

Marion Bartoli snaps her losing streak by beating qualifier,Karolina Pliskova in her first round. Will she continue her winning ways? Petra Martic is a dangerous opponent. She has already taken out Jelena Jankovic in Kuala Lumpur earlier this year (well, not like Jankovic is relevant but...). So I expect Petra to trouble Marion here. But will the Marion lose? Hard to say. Marion will be bouyed by the home crowd and Martic might be too inexperienced to deal with that.

Pick: Bartoli in 3 sets

Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[1] v. Dinah Pfizenmaier(GER)

After struggling mightily against Brianti, you have to wonder if Azarenka is ready to win this tournament. She faces unknown, Dinah Pfizenmaier in the 2nd round. Dinah beat local girl, Caroline Garcia and seems to be very quick around the court. If she can get into Vika's mind with her court coverage, Vika might spray errors all over the court again. But after that disgraceful first round performance, I'm sure Vika spent hours on the practice court to refine her game.

Pick: Azarenka in straight sets

Sure win bets: Lucie Safarova, Sara Errani, Samantha Stosur
Upset alerts: Zheng Jie, Nadia Petrova, Agnieszka Radwanska (?)

WTF Serena?

Roland Garros Day 3: WTF?!?

WTF Serena?!?

Virginie Razzano def. (5) Serena Williams 4-6 7-6(5) 6-3

After 46 consecutive 1st round wins in Grand Slams, Serena Williams loses her opener to unheralded Virginie Razzano in an error-ridden match. Seriously, Serena, WTF??!????!?!??!?! Serena played like utter shit in this match. Broken early in the match, Serena did well to break to win the first set. But it was all downhill from there. Leading 5-1 in the tiebreak, Serena went on to lose 6 consecutive points to lose the set. During the changeover, Serena was seen to be in tears. Drama then ensued as Razzano raced to a 5-0 lead as an uninspired Serena emerged. Fighterena came to the rescue and won the next 3 games but it was too late. Razzano won the 9th game after surviving cramps and 5 break points. Oh dear Serena... No words. Even the umpire tried to help you by giving you free points for Razzano's yelps during the points but you didn't take them. WHY SERENA? WHY????

Oh ya... Here are the other results. As if they matter.

Singles - First Round
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) d. Alexandra Cadantu (ROU) 60 60
(4) Petra Kvitova (CZE) d. (WC) Ashleigh Barty (AUS) 61 62
Virginie Razzano (FRA) d. (5) Serena Williams (USA) 46 76(5) 63
(9) Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) d. Eleni Daniilidou (GRE) 60 61
(14) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) d. Kimiko Date-Krumm (JPN) 63 61
(16) Maria Kirilenko (RUS) d. (WC) Victoria Larrière (FRA) 61 62
(22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS) d. Greta Arn (HUN) 64 64
(23) Kaia Kanepi (EST) d. Alexandra Panova (RUS) 63 63
(25) Julia Goerges (GER) d. Lucie Hradecka (CZE) 76(1) 64
(28) Peng Shuai (CHN) d. Tamira Paszek (AUT) 64 63
Tsvetana Pironkova (BUL) d. Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 36 60 63
Klara Zakopalova (CZE) d. Lesia Tsurenko (UKR) 62 61
Irina-Camelia Begu (ROU) d. (WC) Aravane Rezai (FRA) 75 57 62
Jarmila Gajdosova (AUS) d. Magdalena Rybarikova (SVK) 63 41 ret. (lumbar spine injury)
Urszula Radwanska (POL) d. Pauline Parmentier (FRA) 64 63
Ayumi Morita (JPN) d. Polona Hercog (SLO) 36 64 63
Arantxa Rus (NED) d. Jamie Hampton (USA) 64 43 ret.
Lourdes Domínguez Lino (ESP) d. Marina Erakovic (NZL) 75 75
Melinda Czink (HUN) d. Anne Keothavong (GBR) 61 62
(Q) Heather Watson (GBR) d. Elena Vesnina (RUS) 62 6-4

Roland Garros: Day 3 preview

Day 3 will complete the first round action.

1st round:

(14) Francesca Schiavone vs. Kimiko Date-Krumm
(5) Serena Williams vs. Virginie Razzano
(WC) Ashleigh Barty vs. (4) Petra Kvitova
Alexandra Cadantu vs. (2) Maria Sharapova
Pauline Parmentier vs. Urzsula Radwanska
Eleni Daniilidou vs. (9) Caroline Wozniacki
Irina-Camelia Begu vs. (WC) Aravane Rezai
(28) Peng Shuai vs. Tamira Paszek
(23) Kaia Kanepi vs. Alexandra Panova
(16) Maria Kirilenko vs. (WC) Victoria Larriere
Marina Erakovic vs. Lourdes Dominguez-Lino
Polona Hercog vs. Ayumi Morita
Arantxa Rus vs. Jamie Hampton
Jarmila Gajdosova vs. Magdalena Rybarikova
Elena Vesnina vs. (Q) Heather Watson
Anne Keothavong vs. Melinda Czink
Lucie Hradecka vs. (25) Julia Goerges
Tsvetana Pironkova vs. Yanina Wickmayer
Klara Zakopalova vs. Lesia Tsurenko
Greta Arn vs. (22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Match focus:

(14) Francesca Schiavone vs. Kimiko Date-Krumm

2 veterans battle it out to open day 3. Francesca faces former-semifinalist, Kimiko Date-Krumm in a potentially difficult first round. Let's not forget Kimiko took out Dinara Safina in the first round before when she was defending finalist points. Deja vu again? Well, Kimiko isn't playing as well and Francesca did snap out of her losing ways by winning Strasbourg last week. Sadly, I don't see how the older Japanese can outlast Francesca.

Pick: Schiavone in 3 sets

(WC) Ashleigh Barty vs. (4) Petra Kvitova

Is Petra fully fit? That's the million dollar question. She faces young Australian, Ashleigh Barty, who won the Wimbledon juniors title last year. Shouldn't be a problem for the Czech but she's got to be careful to not let Ashleigh trouble her. If the young Australian believes that she has a chance, things will be very interesting.

Pick: Kvitova wins a tight first set and runs aways with the second

Lucie Hradecka vs. (25) Julia Goerges

Interesting clash here between the unpredictable Hradecka and Goerges. Will Hradecka play woeful tennis or will she wake up and stun Goerges? Julia had a disappointing clay season compared to last year. She's going to want to give her all in the last big clay event of the year. Lucie seems to be back to her losing ways as she exited early last week in Strasbourg. Her game is too hit-or-miss, so you got to favour the German for the win.

Pick: Goerges in 3 sets

Greta Arn vs. (22) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova

Another slump queen in action today. Anastasia's record this year is woeful but she faces Greta Arn, who isn't that impressive either. So I guess it's another match where the player which stinks less will win. Greta doesn't really like clay so I have to give the Russian the advantage here.

Pick: Pavlyuchenkova in 3 tight sets

Eleni Daniilidou vs. (9) Caroline Wozniacki

Poor Caroline. This is the first time since US Open 2009 where shes's seeded outside the top 8. What a rapid drop as she was still seeded number 1 in Australian Open earlier this year. She faces veteran, Eleni Daniilidou who was ranked in the top 20 about 7 to 8 years ago. Let's face it, Eleni's prime years are over. This match should be easy picking for Caroline. If she manages to screw this up, red flags have to be raised immediately.

Pick: Wozniacki in 2 easy sets

Sure-win bets: Caroline Wozniacki, Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova
Upset alert: Elena Vesnina, Marina Erakovic, Anne Keothavong

Roland Garros: Day 2 round-up

It might as well be Independence Day on Day 2 as all American ladies went through their first rounds! Who said American tennis is in doldrums? A few surprises here in Day 2 except Radwaska and Li, who cruised through a potential tricky opponent.

Singles - First Round
(1) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Alberta Brianti (ITA) 67(6) 64 62
(3) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) d. Bojana Jovanovski (SRB) 61 60
(7) Li Na (CHN) d. Sorana Cirstea (ROU) 62 61
(8) Marion Bartoli (FRA) d. (Q) Karolina Pliskova (CZE) 63 63
Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. (12) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 64 63
(15) Dominika Cibulkova (SVK) d. (WC) Kristina Mladenovic (FRA) 62 61
Sofia Arvidsson (SWE) d. (17) Roberta Vinci (ITA) 62 46 63
(18) Flavia Pennetta (ITA) d. Hsieh Su-Wei (TPE) 67(3) 64 62
(19) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) 16 61 75
(24) Petra Cetkovska (CZE) d. Simona Halep (ROU) 61 63
(27) Nadia Petrova (RUS) d. Iveta Benesova (CZE) 63 63
(29) Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) d. (LL) Laura Robson (GBR) 62 61
(Q) Lauren Davis (USA) d. (30) Mona Barthel (GER) 61 61
(31) Zheng Jie (CHN) d. Alizé Cornet (FRA) 64 64
Nina Bratchikova (RUS) d. (32) Monica Niculescu (ROU) 06 63 63
Christina McHale (USA) d. (Q) Kiki Bertens (NED) 26 64 64
Chanelle Scheepers (RSA) d. Laura Pous-Tio (ESP) 64 26 61
Carla Suárez Navarro (ESP) d. Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 60 63
Petra Martic (CRO) d. Michaella Krajicek (NED) 62 75
Vania King (USA) d. Galina Voskoboeva (KAZ) 64 62
Varvara Lepchenko (USA) d. Ksenia Pervak (KAZ) 62 67(6) 64
Sloane Stephens (USA) d. Ekaterina Makarova (RUS) 64 76(6)
Olga Govortsova (BLR) d. Romina Oprandi (SUI) 64 61
Stéphanie Foretz Gacon (FRA) d. Barbora Zahlavova Strycova (CZE) 63 75
(Q) Yaroslava Shvedova (KAZ) d. Mandy Minella (LUX) 63 64
(Q) Chan Yung-Jan (TPE) d. Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) 61 76(8)
(LL) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) d. Timea Babos (HUN) 61 60
(WC) Claire Feuerstein (FRA) d. Vera Dushevina (RUS) 64 61

Shockers:

(1) Victoria Azarenka (BLR) d. Alberta Brianti (ITA) 67(6) 64 62

Down a set and 0-4, Azarenka manages to get out of jail in this error-strewn match. Victoria committed a total of 60 errors including 6 double faults. She faced a break point for 0-5 where she serve her only ace, on a second serve! That's where the turning point of the match began. Victoris has to thank Brianti for that as the veteran just stunk up the court after that point. Sloppy match from both players but got to give Vika credit for not giving up. However, chances of Vika winning the tournament are not optimistic if she continues her form.

Bethanie Mattek-Sands (USA) d. (12) Sabine Lisicki (GER) 64 63

Oh dear lord Sabine. She continues to struggle as an inspired Bethanie Mattek-Sands takes her out. Beth played a great match and nullified Sabine's serve as she struggled to hold. Good for the American as she continues her climb back up. As for Sabine, she has got to sort her head out as she's going to have to defend major points in Wimbledon. Sabine was seen crying after this loss, which really shows how fragile her mind is currently.

(Q) Lauren Davis (USA) d. (30) Mona Barthel (GER) 61 61

Bad day for the Germans as another prospect falls. Mona Barthel falters badly to unknown, Lauren Davis. An appalling stat of this match is that Mona committed 44 unforced errors, including 12 double faults. It basically equates to 11 games of the match. Mona had this cannot be bothered attitude which makes you wonder if she has something on going in her private life. As for Davis, she's lucky to have drawn this version of Barthel. In fact I think I could have won against Mona myself given her self-destructive ways. Really disappointing exit.

(LL) Sesil Karatantcheva (KAZ) d. Timea Babos (HUN) 61 60

Talk about being lucky! I predicted Vera Zvonareva will retire but she did the right thing by withdrawing. Which leaves Timea kind of bummed as she was expected to face a walking bye. Lucky loser Sesil made full use of this chance to thrash a bewildered Timea Babos with the loss of 1 game. Timea hasn't been the same since winning her first title in Monterrey. She struggled to string wins together, capped by a pathetic loss in her home tournament in Budapest. A case of too much too soon.

(19) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) d. Patricia Mayr-Achleitner (AUT) 16 61 75

Jelena, struggling against the likes of Patricia Mayr means you are in deep shit. I cannot believe this player was ranked number 1 before as she continues her uninspired play on court. Sort out your problems Jelena, stop going through the motions. I fully expect Jelena to retire at the end of the year if she continues her dismal form.

Roland Garros: Day 2 preview

Huge day with tons of matches featured:

Court Philippe Chatrier

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Victoria Azarenka(BLR)[1] vs. Alberta Brianti(ITA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Na Li(CHN)[7] vs. Sorana Cirstea(ROU)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Novak Djokovic(SRB)[1] vs. Potito Starace(ITA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Gilles Simon(FRA)[11] vs. Ryan Harrison(USA)

Court Suzanne Lenglen

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
(WC) Kristina Mladenovic(FRA) vs. Dominika Cibulkova(SVK)[15]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Roger Federer(SUI)[3] vs. Tobias Kamke(GER)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Michael Llodra(FRA) vs. Guillermo Garcia-Lopez(ESP)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
(Q) Karolina Pliskova(CZE) vs. Marion Bartoli(FRA)[8]

Court 1

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Florent Serra(FRA) vs. Feliciano Lopez(ESP)[15]
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Alize Cornet(FRA) vs. Jie Zheng(CHN)[31]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Arnaud Clement(FRA) vs. Alex Bogomolov Jr.(RUS)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Agnieszka Radwanska(POL)[3] vs. Bojana Jovanovski(SRB)

Court 2

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Patricia Mayr-Achleitner(AUT) vs. Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[19]
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Timea Babos(HUN) vs. Vera Zvonareva(RUS)[11]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Rogerio Dutra Silva(BRA) vs. John Isner(USA)[10]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Paul-Henri Mathieu(FRA) vs. Bjorn Phau(GER)

Court 3

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
(Q) Lauren Davis(USA) vs. Mona Barthel(GER)[30]
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Christina McHale(USA) vs. (Q) Kiki Bertens(NED)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Viktor Troicki(SRB)[28] vs. Thomaz Bellucci(BRA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Filippo Volandri(ITA) vs. Tommy Haas(GER)

Court 4

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Vania King(USA) vs. Galina Voskoboeva(KAZ)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Petra Martic(CRO) vs. Michaella Krajicek(NED)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Simona Halep(ROU) vs. Petra Cetkovska(CZE)[24]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Philipp Kohlschreiber(GER)[24] vs. Matthew Ebden(AUS)

Court 5

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Marcel Granollers(ESP)[20] vs. Joao Sousa(POR)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Ekaterina Makarova(RUS) vs. Sloane Stephens(USA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Radek Stepanek(CZE)[23] vs. David Goffin(BEL)

Court 6

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
A. Medina Garrigues(ESP)[29] vs. (LL) Laura Robson(GBR)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Adrian Ungur(ROU) vs. David Nalbandian(ARG)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Roberta Vinci(ITA)[17] vs. Sofia Arvidsson(SWE)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Xavier Malisse(BEL) vs. Brian Baker(USA)

Court 7

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Blaz Kavcic(SLO) vs. Lleyton Hewitt(AUS)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Sabine Lisicki(GER)[12] vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands(USA)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Dudi Sela(ISR) vs. Tomas Berdych(CZE)[7]
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Barbora Zahlavova Strycova(CZE) vs. Stephanie Foretz Gacon(FRA)

Court 8

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
(Q) Yung-Jan Chan(TPE) vs. Kateryna Bondarenko(UKR)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Laura Pous-Tio(ESP) vs. Chanelle Scheepers(RSA)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Tamarine Tanasugarn(THA) vs. Carla Suarez Navarro(ESP)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Olivier Rochus(BEL) vs. Leonardo Mayer(ARG)

Court 10

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Malek Jaziri(TUN) vs. Philipp Petzschner(GER)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Santiago Giraldo(COL) vs. Alejandro Falla(COL)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
(Q) Yaroslava Shvedova(KAZ) vs. Mandy Minella(LUX)

Court 11

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Frank Dancevic(CAN) vs. Martin Klizan(SVK)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Romina Oprandi(SUI) vs. Olga Govortsova(BLR)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Jesse Levine(USA) vs. Benjamin Becker(GER)

Court 14

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Mikhail Kukushkin(KAZ) vs. Ernests Gulbis(LAT)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Varvara Lepchenko(USA) vs. Ksenia Pervak(KAZ)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Alexandr Dolgopolov(UKR)[16] vs. Sergiy Stakhovsky(UKR)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Monica Niculescu(ROU)[32] vs. Nina Bratchikova(RUS)

Court 16

11:00 AM Start
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Nadia Petrova(RUS)[27] vs. Iveta Benesova(CZE)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Eric Prodon(FRA) vs. Horacio Zeballos(ARG)
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Bernard Tomic(AUS)[25] vs. Andreas Haider-Maurer(AUT)

Court 17

11:00 AM Start
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Andreas Seppi(ITA)[22] vs. Nikolay Davydenko(RUS)
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Su-Wei Hsieh(TPE) vs. Flavia Pennetta(ITA)[18]
Men's Singles - 1st Round
Ruben Ramirez Hidalgo(ESP) vs. Milos Raonic(CAN)[19]
Women's Singles - 1st Round
Vera Dushevina(RUS) vs. (WC) Claire Feuerstein(FRA)

Match focus:

A. Medina Garrigues(ESP)[29] vs. (LL) Laura Robson(GBR)

Laura Robson has beaten Anabel Medina Garrigues last year in US Open 6-2 6-2. Will she repeat this again on Anabel's favoured surface? I fear another first round exit for this young Brit. She had already lost in qualifying and got into the main draw when Silvia Soler-Espinosa withdrew. And clay is Anabel's favourite playground. Anabel will grind Laura to death and Laura will hit herself out of the court and the tournament I'm afraid.

Pick: Medina Garrigues in 2 sets

Sabine Lisicki(GER)[12] vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands(USA)

Sabine Lisicki gets a tough opener in the form of Bethanie Mattek-Sands. The flamboyant American has dropped drastically after suffering from injury and is fighting to reach her career-high ranking of 30 a year ago. She's ranked 168 now but I'm sure she can play top 100 tennis. Lisicki's shaky form will be put to test with this aggressive American. Let' see if Sabine can hold onto her nerves and head to achieve this win.

Pick: Lisicki in 3 sets

Na Li(CHN)[7] vs. Sorana Cirstea(ROU)

Brutal draw for Li Na as she draws one of the most dangerous floaters in the tournament. Sorana has been known to challenge the best players as evidenced by her first round win over Samantha Stosur in Australian Open. The defending champion has to be on her game soon as Sorana isn't a pushover. If Li manages to keep her wild errors low, she will be able to achieve victory.

Pick: Li in 2 tight sets

Timea Babos(HUN) vs. Vera Zvonareva(RUS)[11]

Dear Vera, do not play if you are injured. Vera played an exhibition set against Sabine Lisicki but was humiliated 1-6 by the German. After that, there's reports of her shoulder bothering her. I guess Timea must be thanking her lucky stars on drawing the weakest seed here. Sadly, I see no other way that Vera is winning this.

Pick: Timea wins when Vera retires

Patricia Mayr-Achleitner(AUT) vs. Jelena Jankovic(SRB)[19]

Jankovic is on a 4 match losing streak and I fully expect this to snap here. Patricia is pretty much a journeywoman with no real weapons. Moreover, the brattish behaviour of this Austrian is off-putting. There are signs of revival for Jelena as she had chances in all her losses. She just needs to win the important points and she'll be back on course.

Pick: Jankovic in 2 sets

Sure win bets: Azarenka, Carla Suarez Navarro, Agnieszka Radwanska
Upset alert: Zheng Jie, Vera Zvonareva, Mandy Minella

Roland Garros: Day 1 round-up

Singles - First Round
(6) Samantha Stosur (AUS) d. Elena Baltacha (GBR) 64 60
(10) Angelique Kerber (GER) d. (Q) Zhang Shuai (CHN) 63 64
(13) Ana Ivanovic (SRB) d. (Q) Lara Arruabarrena-Vecino (ESP) 61 61
(20) Lucie Safarova (CZE) d. Anastasiya Yakimova (BLR) 62 60
(21) Sara Errani (ITA) d. Casey Dellacqua (AUS) 46 62 62
(26) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) d. Mirjana Lucic (CRO) 61 63
María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (Q) Eva Birnerova (CZE) 46 64 86
Venus Williams (USA) d. Paula Ormaechea (ARG) 46 61 63
Shahar Peer (ISR) d. Stéphanie Dubois (CAN) 62 62
Aleksandra Wozniak (CAN) d. (Q) Heidi El Tabakh (CAN) 75 62
Mathilde Johansson (FRA) d. Anastasia Rodionova (AUS) 57 76(6) 64
Irina Falconi (USA) d. Edina Gallovits-Hall (ROU) 36 63 61
(Q) Alexa Glatch (USA) d. Anna Tatishvili (GEO) 63 57 64
(Q) Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) d. (WC) Caroline Garcia (FRA) 36 64 63
(WC) Irena Pavlovic (FRA) d. Chang Kai-Chen (TPE) 64 75
(WC) Melanie Oudin (USA) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 63 63
Shockers:

(WC) Melanie Oudin (USA) d. Johanna Larsson (SWE) 63 63

Wut?!?! Melanie Oudin won a match???!? At a Grand Slam?!?!? Is this the end of the world???! I had written off Melanie in my preview but she totally made me eat my words with this straight sets victory over Johanna Larsson. Well, Johanna helped Melanie a lot with her incessant errors but it's easy to want to win so much that you overhit your shots. Precious points for Melanie. As for Johanna, no words. Please learn how to play tennis.

María José Martínez Sánchez (ESP) d. (Q) Eva Birnerova (CZE) 46 64 86

Maria Jose wins a marathon match! First match of the tournament to exceed 12 games in the 3rd set. It's comforting for the former Rome champion to win such a tight match. She's different from the other players and likes to venture to the net with her touch shots. Not too sure if any match points were saved but she was broken when serving for the match the first time. So it's definitely a confidence boost for this Spaniard. As for Eva, she should be disappointed at letting this huge opportunity slip. Next up for Maria Jose is Lucie Safarova, which would be a tough test.

(Q) Dinah Pfizenmaier (GER) d. (WC) Caroline Garcia (FRA) 36 64 63

Dinah who?!?! Let's clarify who this girl is. Dinah Pfizenmaier has not play a single WTA main draw match before, have not qualified for a main tour event before. This is the first time she's playing a qualifying event in a Grand Slam and she qualified! Another amazing fact is that last year, she was unranked! Another German player to watch? Definitely. I've watched the last game of this match and this girl's got some wheels on her. Her court coverage is impressive and you can see she's really enjoying herself on the court. As for her game, a little too defensive for my liking but she can definitely make improvements. As for Caroline Garcia, another epic fail for her. Ever since her near-win against Sharapova last year, she has done absolutely NOTHING. Andy Murray must be saying now "What was I thinking?".

Other matches provided no real surprises. Venus struggled a bit but got her grovve back and won easily in the 2nd and 3rd set. Alexa Glatch took out higher ranked Anna Tatishvili as I have predicted. The seeds all went through without much trouble. :)