French Open

When Day Four at Roland Garros began, three of the game’s hottest babes were on the court. Not surprisingly, the Paris stands were brimming with the prospects for great tennis and stunning eye-candy.

India’s doubles starlet, Sania Mirza, Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic, the overlooked reigning French Champion and Russian comeback beauty and former world number one, Maria Sharapova all took the court at the same time. It just does not get any better than that!

Ivanovic was on the Phillipe Chartier Center Court, while Sharapova challenged Number 11 seed and fellow country-mate Nadia Petrova on Court Suzanne Lenglen and Sania quietly took her specialty doubles skills over to court 9.

Sharapova’s match against her steady, experienced Russian counterpart glowed with upset potential but reeked of possible disappointment. With Ana, the gorgeous defending champ and latest Fernando Verdasco squeeze, you never know what to expect. The fitness babe is only as good as her inconsistent serve.

For those who prefer doubles, Mirza is always worth a look. Sania never fails to bring a competitive grace to the doubles court. Day four at Roland Garros was no exception.

Amazingly, all three beauties won. All three provided great play along with popular results and pretty special attire. On Day Four at Roland Garros, the French got just what they wanted, and more!

At 6 foot 2 inches, Maria’s return to tennis has been much anticipated following her successful shoulder surgery. The blonde beauty has trained hard and carefully for this particular Grand Slam, the only Slam event missing from her $12 million resume.

Distracted by multiple career possibilities, some fans thought Maria’s tennis days might be over. The champion who is third in current player career earnings has withdrawn from many events in the past year and when she recently dropped out of a tune-up in Madrid, her fans feared for the worst.

Maria now finds herself well-positioned in the draw. After starting slowly in her first round match against Anastassiya Yakimova, Maria seemed to find a groove. She rode that groove through the first set against Petrova cruising to an easy 6-2 advantage.

Her play was controlled, the serve steady, if not brilliant, and her court presence seemed to overwhelm her shorter foe. However, Petrova knows how to win. Nadia is the world’s 11th seed and she has earned it the old fashioned way, on the court.

Nadia came out of the break with a vengeance, storming through the 6-1 second set in just 29 minutes. Sharapova’s lost her serve twice and her confidence appeared shaken. At the end of set two, Maria had 10 unforced errors compared to just 3 for Nadia.

But, Petrova’s reliable first serve had begun to wear thin. She would finish the match succeeding on just 58% of her first serves. With the exception of points won at the net, the two Russians finished in a statistical tie. At the net, Sharapova’s aggressive play resulted in 5 of 7 winning volleys. The tall right-hander won 41 of her 63 first serves compared to 36 of Petrova’s 51 first serves.

Petrova had numerous chances to put the third set away. She scored the first break at 2-2 and at 4-2 had a chance to break again to go up 5-2. But Sharapova knows how to fight, scratch and claw her way back. Always the lioness, the crowd favorite rose to the occasion and steadied the match. Maria not only held to get back to 3-4, she but broke to pull even at 4-4.

The two fired away at each other with Petrova holding the upper hand and Sharapova holding on. At 6-7, Petrova became unnerved by a first service call. She protested and then faulted again. At match point, she struck an uncharacteristically reckless forehand and Sharapova moved on.

Although not sharp, Maria now has two wins under her belt and her march to the quarters possibly matching her against a very beatable Venus Williams is a tournament organizer’s dream. Meanwhile, in Paris cafés, the word is out. O la,la, Maria!

Queen Ana

Thailand’s Tamarine Tanasugam was no match for the defending champion of Roland Garros. The gal with the million-dollar smile, $7 million career earnings and “best physique” on the tour threw everything she had at the overmatched Thai in a quick one-hour match.

The 6-1, 6-2 Center Court face-off was not as close as the score. For those who have forgotten the queen, she is back, she likes clay and she has heart, a big heart. Ana loudly announced that the road to the throne would go through her.

A possible quarterfinal pairing with Dinara Safina does not appear a bad matchup for the Queen. Safina’s Grand Slam success is mediocre and despite Ivanovic’s service issues, she has the stamina to present a problem for anyone.

As her new and improved heartthrob, Fernando Verdasco, has discovered, life is better when the legs are strong and the training is sharp. Ana suffers the typical rock star distractions but seems to have found a good place with her very own Spanish rock star and current soul mate.

Against Tamarine, Queen Ana landed 76% of her first serves. Her velocity was good and she recorded 3 aces. Perhaps, her serve is back on track. If so, watch out world!

Ivanovic struck 32 outright winners and won 56% of her receiving points. In all, it was nice tune-up for round three.

Sania Sparkles – As Always

Make no mistake about it; Sania Mirza is a professional tennis player and champion. The 22-year old dark haired beauty is one of the survivors on the women’s circuit. This year little Sania has crafted an 8-7 singles record.

Singles is great training for Sania. She plays to win, but she also plays to improve her doubles play, which is how she gets the endorsements and pays the bills.

You see, Sania has a following. Way back there on those quieter courts, Sania pecks away in women’s doubles and mixed doubles, entering every event, scratching away at the castoffs from the noisier venues. Sania is a working girl, not a superstar, a realist really. Under the careful tutelage of teammate Mahesh Bhupathi, another doubles specialist, Sania has learned that it may not be all glory in the world of doubles, but there’s always something to do and someway to keep playing.

For those who watch the cheerful doubles expert go about her job, it is difficult not to root for her. She avoids the histrionics of the bigger names. Sania accepts her good play and tolerates her errors with grace. Her sportswomanship is unparalleled.

On Day Four, Sania and partner Chia Jund Chuang took Court Nine at Roland Garros. The two knew there was no better place to be, no better match to play. So, they enjoyed it.

74 minutes later, the twosome emerged victorious over Ipek Senmoglu and Yanina Wickmayer. It was a match Sania and Chia were supposed to win, a match that will not crop any headlines, a match that will not be forgotten or remembered. It was a first round women’s doubles match on the red clay of Roland Garros.

Why then was the gallery filled? Why then were people watching this match rather than watch, say Maria Sharapova or Ana Ivanoivc? Go see Sania play and you will understand. Whatever it is, Sania Mirza has it. Go see Sania play!