That wonderfully unpredictable Grand Slam is upon us. The one where the points go on and on and the games last forever, where tempers and patience wear thin and where the intensity of the competition gets very personal. The French would have it no other way!
The Men’s Draw
The Men’s Draw for Roland Garros has some intriguing matchups. With four consecutive French Open titles, Spaniard Rafael Nadal is the top seed. If number 8 seed Fernando Verdasco can toe the line, the two fierce competitors will meet in the quarters. A replay of the five set Melbourne Marathon would be a tournament organizer’s dream-come-true.
Andy Murray is seeded third but will host a tough semi-final challenge from either Nadal or Verdasco. Murray will most likely meet home-standing Gilles Simon in the quarters while Simon will first have to dispose of Luxembourg’s Gilles Muller.
Second-seeded Roger Federer tops the lower half of the draw. Fresh off his Madrid clay court championship, Switzerland’s star will have to work to get past third round opponent James Blake of the USA.
A win over Blake could pair Federer with another American, sixth seeded Andy Roddick in the quarters. The hard playing Roddick has not fared well in Paris and will have his hands full with France’s own Gael Monfils before reaching the quarters.
Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who gave Nadal a match to remember in Madrid, has peaked for Roland Garros. Seeded fourth, Djokovic will most likely square away with Argentinian Juan Martin Del Potro in the quarters, but Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France stands in the way. The top half of the lower draw is an upset-waiting-to happen.
One Handicapper’s View
A great draw! Not Nadal’s favorite. We like Verdasco to do the unthinkable and turn Nadal away from his fifth consecutive French Open title. There is no love lost between these two and this time Verdasco gets it done.
It is almost too easy to say that Murray will beat himself yet again, but he will. We like Fernando Gonzalez of Chile to do something surprising, but Czech Radek Stepanek is well suited for this event.
In the lower draw, Federer will fall, if not to Blake or Roddick, certainly to Djokovic. Paris continues to turn Roger away.
Novak Djokovic gets past Tsonga and moves on to the finals before winning the title. The big Serb’s time has come!
The Women’s Draw
Top seed Dinara Safina should emerge to meet popular 8th seed and former champion Ana Ivanovic in the quarters. Spain’s Suarez-Navarro will test Safina in round three.
Venus Williams will be noble but will be pressured in the quarters by Russian Vera Zvonareva, who will have to overcome teammate Nadia Petrova who has to deal with yet another great champion and teammate Maria Sharapova.
Serena Williams will have to work, but she should reach the quarters where Svetliana Kuznetsova will be waiting. In the upper half of the lower draw fifth seed Jelena Jakovic is getting a lot of media play. However, fourth- seeded Elena Demetieva is the better player and may go the distance.
One Handicapper’s View
Safina will not live up to her billing. In fact, if she gets to the quarters, she will fall to Ivanovic who will meet either Venus or Zvonareva in the semis. Either way, Dinara will not make finals. If Ivanovic serves, she gets to finals.
We see Serena reaching semis but falling to fourth-seeded and eventual champion Elena Dementieva who blows past Jankovic, Williams and Ivanovic to capture her first Grand Slam.
Elena is fit, tough, ready for the big stage and will be a great champion.
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