KRISTEN’S KOURT: 2012 FRENCH OPEN PICKS – THE WOMEN

Written by: Staff on 29th May 2012

KRISTEN’S KOURT: 2012 FRENCH OPEN PICKS – THE WOMEN

epa03227353 Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova returns the ball to Chinese tennis player Na Li during their final match at the Italian Open Tennis Tournament, in the Central Stadium at the Foro Italico in Rome, Italy, 20 May 2012. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI |

By Kristen Tracy

Ok, so you’ve (hopefully) read my picks on the ATP side for the first round of the 2012 French Open at 10sballs.com. Now I’m going to break down the women’s draw – or at least the first round of it. I won’t pretend like I’m incredibly knowledgeable about the WTA tour. I know a majority of their names but in terms of knowing their backgrounds and match history, I’m extremely limited. But I assure you I’ve done enough research to know who is favored and who is considered an underdog. So here we go…

DAY 1 WRAP UP:

There very few surprises on the men’s side in the first round, but there were literally none on the women’s side. Not a single seed fell, and those that played won their openers rather decisively. The first day of Roland Garros featured two former French Open finalists, as well as the 2011 US Open champion. Ana Ivanovic won the title in 2008 and won her first-round match rather decisively, beating a qualifier from Spain 6-1, 6-1. Day 1 also saw the return of Venus Williams who, after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s Syndrome last summer, hasn’t played much. Her return to the red clay was a tough one, but she rallied to be Paula Ormaechea of Argentina 4-6, 6-1, 6-3. Samantha Stosur, the Australian who won the 2011 US Open beat her first-round opponent rather easily 6-4, 6-0.

ROUND 1 MATCHES TO WATCH:

Sabine Lisicki (12) vs. Bethanie Mattek-Sands

Some of you might be wondering why I consider this match to be one to watch. I have no doubt that Sabine Lisicki will win this match convincingly, however Bethanie fascinates me. She’s very well-known for her most outrageous style on and off court (who would have thought someone could have taken that title from Serena?!), but it is her playing style that I am intrigued by. For some reason I find myself both fascinated and annoyed by the way Mattek-Sands plays, and yet like a train wreck, I can never seem to pull my focus away. Maybe it’s a combination of her wild style and her odd playing technique, but whatever it is, I always look forward to (or dread in some instances) watching her play.

Karolina Pliskova vs. Marion Bartoli (8)

The women’s tour seems to be filled with mentally challenged players. And by that, I mean players who can’t seem to master the mental aspect to the game. I’m not sure how many times I have seen a WTA player cruising in a match – up one, two, or three breaks in a set – and completely crumble. They just can’t seem to hold on to a match that was basically handed to them. There are far more breaks of serve on the women’s tour than there are on the men’s. One of the worst of these types of players seems to be Marion Bartoli. Her mental composure in a match is seriously lacking and because of that, her results are anything but predictable. The fact that she’s seeded eighth should mean that her first round match won’t be much of a challenge, but I’m anxious to see how she plays not only in this first match, but in the tournament as a whole.

LOOKING AHEAD:

For me, one of the most anticipated matches in the opening rounds on the women’s side is the potential meeting of Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams. Both players are favorites of mine, and the fact that they will meet so early in the tournament is a disappointment. This match has the potential to be quarterfinal worthy, yet because of Venus’ lack of play the last year she comes into Roland Garros out of the top 50. Radwanska has been having what I consider to be as good of a year as you can have with the likes of Azarenka, Serena, and Sharapova essentially hogging most of the titles for the year. Both women are fighters, which means that I know I (along with probably some others here at 10sballs.com) will be glued to my seat when play begins between these two.

Topics: 10sballs.com, Ana Ivanovic, BETHANIE Mattek-Sands, Karolina Pliskova, Kristen Tracy, Maria Sharapova, Marion Bartoli, Paula Ormaechea, Roland Garros, Sabine Lisicki, Serena Williams, Sports, Venus Williams, Victoria Azarenka, WTA tennis news