French Open: Vika Leads Pack into Week 2

We've seen it all in Paris this year: celebratory dancing, stretcher exits, crowd-igniting comebacks and even a world no. 1 wiped in the third round—but through it all, tenacious Victoria Azarenka has been chewing her way through opponents and leads the elite eight into week two at Roland Garros.

The hard hitting 21-year-old is the only woman left in the field who has not dropped a set, but she'll have to keep the wheels turning full blast if she wants to claim her first grand slam. She faces Li Na in the quarterfinals and either Sharapova or Petkovic after that, assuming she survives Na. But the Chinese world no. 7 and Australian Open runner-up won't be an easy match, especially considering her stunning win over Petra Kvitova in the round of 16. When Na finds her range, it's her whipping short forehand and cross court backhand that deliver lethal damage, but Azarenka's raw athleticism and big-babe shotmaking will surely match up.

Sharapova is still in the hunt for her first French Open title, a milestone that would finalize her Career Slam. But in order to realize that dream, Maria has to take down Andrea Petkovic, the erratic, though entertaining, German who toppled Maria at the Australian Open. Sharapova has had a few dodgy moments in her latest matches (were all those errors necessary against Radwanska, Miss Sharapova?) but she has proved to us again and again that in big moments, she can still win clutch points. If anything, we're guaranteed some good screaming and a nice moonwalk if Petkovic finds her way through.

Perhaps the most interesting match will come from young-gun Pavyluchenkova and last year's champion, Schiavone. I'm not lying when I say I expected an early exit from good ol' Francesca. Yes, she played beautiful tennis last year and had her moment in the spotlight, but I did not see her repeating that journey again. So far, I've been proven wrong. Her last match, against slowly improving though continuously losing Jelena Jankovic, was her best performance yet and showed moments of clay court brilliance, but she'll need to do even better to stifle the heat coming from the on-point Pavs. Pavlyuchenkova is coming off an impressive victory over no. 3 Zvonareva and is playing quite impressively herself. It's going to be a battle between the youngest and oldest players left in the draw, and while my money is on youth, Schiavone has done well to beat my expectations.

The last quarterfinal is between two-handed home crowd favorite, Marion Bartoli, and former French Open champion, Svetlana Kuznetsova. Bartoli overwhelmed hotshot Julia Goerges in the third round and had Dulko retire in the round of 16. Meanwhile, Kuznetsova had the task of beating Hantuchova, the woman who crushed world no. 1 Wozniacki one match before. Though Bartoli played some tremendous tennis in her final set against Goerges, I haven't seen anything that tells me she can beat Kuznetsova. But then, the Russian has a reputation for choking... It's really a toss-up of who comes to play.

For full fourth round results, check Day 8 and Day 9.

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Setting the Sweet Sixteen

Every big tournament has its most interesting matches, but there is little that exceeds the excitement of the round of sixteen. No, these women aren't in the spotlight of the championship (yet), but it's in the fourth round where many of the tour's greatest players begin colliding with their fellow highly ranked rivals. With the third round over and done with, the stage has been set. So let's take a look at how some of these women got here.

We've already covered the woes of Wozniacki, but the third round had some other great highlights as well—the biggest in the eyes of the French crowd being Bartoli's win over Julia Goerges. Now, the French two-hander is ranked higher than Goerges, but the young German has come off a hot-streak, defeating the world no. 1 in consecutive meetings, and appeared to have the edge in this third round match. Leading 4-0 in the first set, Goerges was playing at full tilt. Bartoli could do little but sigh and roll her eyes between points, unable to get a feel for her own game. But that's only how it began. Bartoli started putting pressure on Goerges' shots and the German began to waver, hitting a few consecutive errors on her stronger forehand side. Despite the momentary lapse of concentration, Goerges won the first set at 6-3, but you could tell that Marion had only just begun and the second set would be much more competitive.

And competitive it was. Bartoli found her range and began to strike deep, but the true story of the second set was Julia's inability to find the court. With clay particles bothering her right eye, it was clear Goerges' head was not completely in the match and soon she found herself flubbing the set 6-2. The eye problems seemed to disappear in the final set, but this is where the story changed again: Bartoli began to deserve her win. The frenchwoman finally started hitting winners and the crowd was on her side. Before Julia could really dig into the set she was down 5-2, and although she answered back to 5-4, Bartoli prevailed in her final service game.

Jankovic has fans feeling confident again after a 6-2 6-2 victory over surging American, Bethanie Mattek-Sands. It was wonderful to see the Serbian sliding across the clay like she did in her most confident days, redirecting Mattek's power into unreachable spaces of the court. With her newly improved serve, Jankovic finally has the final piece to add to what was once a near-unbeatable game. A win over Schiavone next might just return this Serb to grandeur.

Reclaiming greatness is something we won't be seeing from 2010 French Open finalist, Sam Stosur after a surprising loss to Argentina's Gisela Dulko. The Australian will lose more than ranking points after this match, having leveled the match with a 6-1 second set. It appeared Stosur would dictate the final set, but Dulko had her own agenda, halting Stosur at 6-3.

Other players who advanced include Zvonareva, Kuznetsova, Sharapova and more. The biggest threat for the crown appears to be Victoria Azarenka, whose ferocious play style has been overwhelming her opponents. For full 3rd round results check Day 6 and Day 7.

UPCOMING 'Round of 16' MATCHES:

Hantuchova v. Kuznetsova

Bartoli v. Dulko

Zvonareva v. Pavlyuchenkova

Jankovic v. Schiavone

Na v. Kvitova

Makarova v. Azarenka

Sharapova v. Radwanska

Petkovic v. Kirilenko.

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Wozniacki Says Au Revoir to Paris Dreams

There have been a lot of expectations for Caroline Wozniacki since her sky rocket journey to world no. 1, but never have those expectations been so large as at this year's French Open. The young Dane dominates many of her matches with devastating placement and mind-boggling defense, and with this slam's draw so wide open, many tennis analysts said this was her best chance to validate her ranking. But after her match against Daniela Hantuchova, it looks like we'll have to keep waiting...

Caroline was at her usual game, running down shots and playing with great consistency. In the entire match she only had 14 unforced errors to 8 winners, but maybe that's not saying much considering the scoreline: 6-1 6-3 in favor of her opponent. The difference today was her depth and missed offensive attacks. Her shots were dropping short enough for Hantuchova to find her range, moving in and sweeping a total of 26 clean winners.

Daniela is a former top 5 player, so there's no denying her ability to pull off big wins, but not many fans expected this. It was clear between games just how serious the Slovakian was about stunning the world'd best, practicing swings and staying on her toes to keep motivated. On cross overs she would look to her box, eyes narrowed and fists clenched. Her body language wasn't the only thing serious about Hantuchova's presence on court today either—she hammered forehands at will and baffled Wozniacki with backhands aimed perfectly up the line.

It looked as though Wozniacki might have the biggest comeback of the tournament when she rallied from 4-0 to 4-3 in the second set, but Hantuchova was not to be subdued. Her two aces in the match came back to back when she faced break point, and although she was eventually broken, she took the confidence of those crucial shots into her the final games of the match. When Wozniacki's final shot soared long, Hantuchova pumped both fists into the air, victoriously and much deserved.

This year's French Open won't complete the Clijster's slam, won't reaffirm Stosur's clay court performance from last year, and now it won't be the breakthrough tournament for Wozniacki.  If we thought Roland Garros was wide open before, the gap just got a little bit wider.

For complete match updates from today, click HERE.

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Day 5 Recap

Clijsters dropped 11 of the final 12 games.

The fifth day of this year's French Open was a roller coaster of wins and losses for the tournament's greatest champions. Before Sharapova struck down the surging French 17-year-old, Caroline Garcia, it was Kim Clijsters who struggled to maintain her composure against a rising star. But unlike Sharapova, who went from a double-break deficit to a 11 game winning streak, Clijsters crumbled from match point to melt down.

Leading 5-2 in the second set after winning the first 6-3, Kim had a match point on Rus's serve but missed her chance. She found another match point at 5-4, but once again could not convert. From there, the Dutch youngster took control, punishing an out-of-form Clijsters who leaked 60+ unforced errors in the match. At the end of the day, it was Arantxa Rus who prevailed in a surprising 3-6 7-5 6-1 turnaround, stopping Clijsters in her pursuit to finally claim French Open glory.

Victoria Azarenka handled her match today in the complete opposite manner. The slam-hungry Belarusian took a chokehold on the match early, taking the first set without dropping a game. The second set was nearly identical as Azarenka continued to dominate play, dropping one game on her way toa  6-0 6-1 victory. Her French opponent, Parrmentier, was favored by the Parisian crowd, but their cheers did little to help her overcome Victoria's on-spot striking.

Aside from Clijsters (and Dulgheru who lost 6-2 7-5 to Cirstea) all other seeded players won their matches today. For full results, click HERE.

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Sharapova Snaps Back

There were times today when Sharapova stood on court that I could not help but think back to when she was 17 years old and in the Wimbledon championship. She was an electric teenager with enormous shots and an attitude to match, but it wasn't Maria's game today which made me reminisce, but rather her opponent's. Sharapova faced a youngster who many dubbed a French version of the gangly Russian we watched stun Serena Williams six years ago, and at a set and two breaks down, it seemed Maria would be the second big name to go home today (following Clijsters). Tweets, blogs and articles were buzzing around the internet about how this young girl, Caroline Garcia, was on her way to victory—how she was the next big thing—that we were witnessing the birth of a new tennis legend...

But in an all too familiar fashion, Sharapova found a way.

It's true that Garcia's game was excellent and downright beautiful at times in her match today. Despite her small frame, she finds a way to pound the ball for winners, but it's her tactical skill that truly gave her the edge. She absorbed Sharapova's power and redirected it into corners, seeming the likely victor as she moved ahead 4-1 in the second set. She has a certain whip on the ball that generates superb spin and deadly angles. With that in her arsenal, Garcia was able to take Sharapova's shots very early, hitting down the line and crosscourt as she pleased. It was her match to win, but anyone who knows Sharapova knows that the match is not over until the final point is won.

And that's where Garcia dropped the ball. With a double-break advantage, Garcia had room for error, but when the next game began it looked as though she finally recognized the face on the other side of the court. She was on center stage at the French Open, playing against grand slam champion, Maria Sharapova. Reality set in and she hit the deck hard, literally. During one point at the end of the second set, Maria sent a backhand roaring cross-court and Garcia lost her footing and fell to the ground. Dismayed as she stood, Garcia finally looked her age, staring into her box with wide eyes, disappointed and understandably angry that she let her lead slip away.

Losing a lead to Sharapova is one problem, but allowing her to dictate play is a deadly mistake. Garcia began missing the shots she had been crushing for winners, double faults began to creep into her service game, and Sharapova found her stroke. In a stunning display, Maria won 11 consecutive games to win the final two sets 6-4 6-0, beaming with joy as she converted her first match point. It was a great showing by Garcia and the whole tennis world will be excited to see her in the future, but it's too early to call her a future world no. 1.

Why? The press loves a new facem but that doesn't mean we have substantial evidence of greatness soon to come. Let's look at Oudin, Rus (the Clijster's slayer) and Jovanovski. I really enjoy all three of these girls' fearless efforts, but we're still waiting for them to flourish. Oudin was the big, bad Russian-slayer of the 2009 US Open, but she hasn't done much since. Rus and Jovanovski have both received similar praise as rising stars, but it'll take a few more deep journeys into grand slams for us to really know if any of these players are "world's best" material, and the same goes for Caroline Garcia.

When thinking about Garcia's (or any youngster's) future, I think Maria said it best in her post-match interview today: "There will be a lot of wins and lot of losses. It’ll be a long road." Maria is living proof that  17-year-old can stun the tennis world and give us something to cheer about, but we haven't seen that for awhile and we surely didn't see that from Garcia today. Instead, we had a refreshing glimpse of Sharapova at her best. The mental toughness. The mind-boggling strength. The signature scream. 


Today it was Maria's day, and even though she has had a lot of wins in the past, she treats each one like it's a championship.


-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Days 3 and 4 Catchup

The last day of first round matches gave us a sneak peak into what players like Maria Sharapova and Kim Clijsters were bringing to Roland Garros. Both players easily toppled their opponents and moved into the second round. For other stars, like former French Open champion, Ana Ivanovic, the day didn't end so happily. The 20th-seed Serbian rebounded from a first set tiebreaker loss to claim the second set at 6-0. It appeared as though she would ride that wave of momentum into the third set, but unfortunately for her, that wave broke a little too early. Ivanovic struggled to maintain her high level of play and as fatigue set in, so did the tears. Ana wound up losing the final set 6-2.

Out on court 1 all eyes were on another Serbian: young Bojana Jovanovski. She faced 15-seed Petkovic in what I predicted to be a first round match worth watching... and I was right. Both players are very young and swing at balls as though there are no limits. Petkovic won the first set 6-4, but Bojana held strong in the second, taking the match into a tiebreak after failing to convert a set point. The fiery Serb seemed likely to earn another set point, but Petkovic proved her ranking and kept the set alive. After a few convincing strikes, Petkovic found match point, winning the tiebreak 7-3.

Another exciting first round win came for America's Vania King. She stepped onto court against the ever-unpredictable Dominika Cibulkova, a player many thought might meet (and upset) the heavy handed Petra Kvitova. That won't be the case, however, as King found a steady rhythm on the clay. She dropped the first set to Cibulkova in a tight 12-10 tiebreak, but upped her level in the next two sets to win 6-3 6-2.

Day 4 saw the first group of second round matches, and a handful of seeded players continued their victorious stride. Schiavone, Jankovic, Stosur and Wozniacki all won in straight sets, though the Dane had to fend off a set point to win a second set tiebreaker 8-6.

Though there were no bracket-busting upsets, no. 3 seed Vera Zvonareva narrowly escaped defeat. She had the unfortunate draw of facing Sabine Lisicki, a former top-notch player who had to qualify for this year's Roland Garros after taking time off for injuries. Lisicki won the first set 6-4 and had match point in the third, but Vera still managed to scrounge up a victory. Perhaps the missed return by Lisicki on match point (mind you it was a second serve...) was a little telling in that the German is not ready to reclaim her spot in the top ten, but there is no way to deny credit for Zvonareva's unyielding efforts. She won the final two sets 7-5 7-5 through gritted teeth and for that, she deserves a round of appluase, but by the end of the match, Lisicki's cramping was so severe that she had to be taken off the court on a stretcher. It seems Vera dodged a very, very deadly bullet.

Click HERE for Day 3 results.
Click HERE for Day 4 results.

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor

French Open: Day 2 Recap

Another day of first round matches has ended at Roland Garros, but not without a little drama. The women's draw was full of ups and downs on a fine Parisian day, and some stunning nailbiters kept the crowds wanting more.

One of the biggest dogfights of the day came not from center stage, but from outside on court 14. Young American Christina McHale pushed Italy's Sara Errani to the limit, up 5-2 in the third set after winning her first set in a tiebreaker. Errani was not to be quieted, however, rattling back against the nervous 19-year-old to win the final set 9-7. The loss may have dire effects on McHale's confidence in future matches. If she can't learn to close out the match (which she has been able to do in the past) she won't be able to take her game to the next level.

Another American felt the pain early today as well. It was Melanie Oudin's shot to beat 2010 French Champion Schiavone twice in two meetings, but today wasn't her day. The Georgia native was unable to find any rhtyhm on the red clay and Schiavone easily picked her game apart. The final score was a disappointing 6-2 6-0.

Most of the seeded players prevailed in their matches today, including Zvonareva, Wozniacki, Kvitova, Radwanska and others. Bartoli was the only winning seed to go three sets, but she faired better than both Petrova and Zakaplaova, both of whom suffered first round losses.

For a full list of a result, click HERE!

-Kedzie Teller, ITB Senior Editor