NOTE: This is my own version of draw analysis on 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open. In this self-version of draw analysis, I will pick who I think will be 2010 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open Women's Champion.
Six former Grand Slam champions are present in this event, namely: Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Justine Henin, Maria Sharapova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Ana Ivanovic. They will wrestle out to clinch the title in €3.5-million Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open on its second staging.
By reaching semifinals at Rome, four players had granted a first round bye, joining S.Williams and Ivanovic are former world No.1 Jelena Jankovic, who stunned S.Williams in three tight sets in a grueling clash to reach her third final and a chance to claimed her third title in that event, and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez, whose great run pays off as she downed the trying-to-restore-excellence Ivanovic for a place in the finals.
A lot of tough contenders will try to give a former Grand Slam champions a real fight and a lot of tricky players will try to shake up the draw, a possibility of surprise winner might emerged. Former world No.1 Dinara Safina, since coming back hasn't show good results, is back to defend her title that ascend to the top of the ranking a year ago. Will she be able to pull it through and repeat such performance?
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| Dinara Safina 2009 Mutua Madrileña Madrid Open Women's Champion |
Which of these will most likely to happen: an all-Williams final or a new champion will be crowned in this event? Will this event be enough to gain confidence in time for 2010 French Open, most especially for top players coming from long layoff due to injuries?
The Quarters - Part 1
After a tight match with Jankovic, S.Williams had given a first round bye by reaching semifinals. She will open her match against Vera Dushevina or a qualifier in the second round. A possible encounter with a Russian will book a meeting with Williams in the third round, but Slovak Daniela Hantuchova will try to break the Russians campaign if she able to win her opening match against teen Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova. If she able to pull it off, she will encounter either Elena Vesnina or Nadia Petrova in the second round. Williams chances of reaching quarterfinals is high as she has the winning record against Hantuchova (8-1, but this is their first meeting on clay) and Petrova (6-2, tied at 1-1 on clay). On the other half of this quarter, Elena Dementieva has a tricky opponent in her opening match against Aleksandra Wozniak. If she gets past Wozniak, she will encounter either Melinda Czink or Alexandra Dulgheru in the second round. Dementieva will surely have an easy time to get through this match, but looming in her third round match is possibly Sharapova. Recovering from injury, Sharapova is playing her first match on clay and opens her match against the darkhorse Lucie Safarova, who can be dangerous in any given day. If she luckily get through, she also have an easy time to dug deep against a qualified or Olga Govortsova. Williams will try to downed all the Russians in her way to semifinals.
Semifinalist: Williams
Player to watch: The Pavlyuchenkova-Hantuchova and Dementieva-Wozniak match will be intriguing and surely a tight match, but Sharapova's performance will be the one to watch.
Player to watch: The Pavlyuchenkova-Hantuchova and Dementieva-Wozniak match will be intriguing and surely a tight match, but Sharapova's performance will be the one to watch.
The Quarters - Part 2
The Serbs Jankovic and Ivanovic secured a first round bye after showing strong performance at Rome. But what's exciting is they will face each other in the second round. Ivanovic, on a comeback trail, will try to extend her winning streak against Jankovic where she leads 6-2 in their career meeting. This will be their third meeting on clay with Ivanovic winning their two previous encounter. Surely, one of these Serb will get through for a place in the quarterfinals, but will take on either Marion Bartoli or Jie Zheng, if both win their opening matches. Meanwhile, Safina opens her match against a qualifier, but will need to show strong performance as she will have a tough time in the second round because Henin awaits to test her. For a place in the third round, Andrea Petkovic, who pushed S.Williams to three sets at Rome, will face Sara Errani and Sorana Cirstea faces Flavia Pennetta. If Henin and Jankovic meet in the quarterfinals, that is surely blockbuster as both strong performances on clay. This will be their sixth meeting on clay with their last encounter in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart. Since Jankovic has yet to score her first win against Henin, this will be a tough test. Will Jankovic be able to get through? Or Safina will go all the way to defend her title?
Semifinalist: Henin
Player to watch: Ivanovic's strong performance at Rome implies that she's on a comeback trail, will she able sustain that performance at Madrid and establish as a contender at 2010 French Open?
Player to watch: Ivanovic's strong performance at Rome implies that she's on a comeback trail, will she able sustain that performance at Madrid and establish as a contender at 2010 French Open?
The Quarters - Part 3
Samatha Stosur withdrew at Rome citing injury after her loss to Henin at Stuttgart, will open her match against the ever tricky Argentine Gisela Dulko. If Stosur defeat Dulko, she will take on Spaniard Martinez Sanchez, who received a bye after reaching semifinals at Rome. Martinez Sanchez, whose run at Rome include wins over world No.2 Wozniacki, Safarova, and Ivanovic, earned her a final berth to clash with Jankovic for the title. As both players, showing stunning performance on clay bringing enough confidence to move forward. Whoever wins, will take on the winner of Agniezska Radwanska if she outclass Maria Kirilenko and Agnes Szavay if she stop Patty Schnyder in their opening matches, to battle it out in the third round. With players in this draw knows how to play on dirt, Stosur is ahead of them all and likely to reach quarterfinals where she possibly meet V.Williams. That is, if Williams, who suffered hard loss to Jankovic at Rome winning only one game, wins her opening match against a qualifier, and then takes on either Vera Zvonareva or Melanie Oudin in the second round. If Williams reaches third round, she will possibly encounter Italian Francesca Schiavone, that is, if she win over a qualifier in the opening round and either Sybille Bammer or Yaroslava Shvedova in the second round. The Williams-Stosur is quite anticipated, where Williams leads Stosur in their career meetings with 3-0. This will be their third meeting on clay and Stosur has yet to score her first win over Williams? Will Stosur be able to advanced?
Semifinalist: Stosur
Match to watch: The Radwanska-Kirilenko and Zvonareva-Oudin matches are anticipated, who among them will advanced in the latter rounds?
Match to watch: The Radwanska-Kirilenko and Zvonareva-Oudin matches are anticipated, who among them will advanced in the latter rounds?
The Quarters - Part 4
Last year's runner-up and still playing with strapped ankle Caroline Wozniacki opens her match against a qualifier. In the second round, she will bave a possible encounter with either Alona Bondarenko or Magdalena Rybarikova. In the third round, Wozniacki will possibly meet two tricky opponents who will battle it out to book a place in the third round, Chinese Li Na and Slovak Dominika Cibulkova who both open their matches against a qualifier. Wozniacki's ankle still preventing her to play her best, but will try to pull it off even pushed by tricky and gutsy opponents, to be able to reach quarterfinals. In the other half of this quarter is Kuznetsova, whose inconsistent performance can be dangerous at any given day, will open her match against the in-form Shahar Peer, who show good performance but short of claiming the title will try again her luck in this Premier event. If Kuznetsova shows inconsistent results she will see herself outplayed and Peer will possibly faced Alisa Kleybanova, who also not showing good results after winning her first title at Kuala Lumpur last February, for a place in the third round. Hard-hitting Belarussian Victoria Azarenka will take on Peng Shuai in the first round. If she gets past Shuai, a possible encounter with the Spaniards, either Virginia Ruano Pascual and Arantxa Parra Satonja, who reach her first final at Estoril. Azarenka will have a possible encounter with either Peer or Kleybanova for a place in the quarterfinals where her friend Wozniacki awaits.
Semifinalist: Li
Match to watch: The Kuznetsova-Peer match will be an exciting one, who will be tougher between the two to advance to the next round?
Match to watch: The Kuznetsova-Peer match will be an exciting one, who will be tougher between the two to advance to the next round?
The Semifinals
Williams vs. Henin: If an all-Williams final is not possible, who would ever thought that a big match is just around the corner, as Williams and Henin will meet for the second time this year in this event since 2010 Australian Open finals. As their rivalry continues, this will be their 15th career meeting overall and sixth meeting on clay with Williams leads Henin 8-6 overall, but Henin leads Williams on clay 4-1. Henin, just recently claimed her first title since her comeback and of the season at Stuttgart, is showing flashes of brilliance that she's the one to beat on clay, while the ever-tougher-to-beat Williams reached semifinals at Rome since coming back from injury but succumb to Jankovic after her older sister thrashed a day before. As 2010 French Open is looming, this one will be a preview of a possible semifinal or final at Roland Garros. Henin is tight straight sets.
Stosur vs. Li: This will be their third career meeting with Li has yet to score a win over Stosur. Also, this will be their second meeting on clay, with their previous meeting in the quarterfinals at Stuttgart where Stosur defeated Li in straight sets, 6-3 6-3. The all-around player Stosur is establishing herself as a contender at big events but Li, who can beat top players at any given day will try to give Stosur a tough fight. Stosur in straight sets.
Finalists: Henin, Stosur
The Finals
Who would ever thought that Henin and Stosur will meet for the second time on clay here at Madrid following their first meeting at Stuttgart where Henin runaway as a champion? Is this a new rivalry in the making? Will Stosur be able to avenge that three-set loss to Henin at Stuttgart where she was thrashed in the third set, winning six straight games to claim the title? Henin coming from her win over Williams in the semifinals gives her enough confidence to go all the way in the high altitude clay surface at The Caja Majica. Henin in straight sets.
Champion: Justine Henin
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