For the second year in a row, Maria Sharapova did not come to Rome due to an injury. Also, due to injuries before the start of the competition, Ivanovich, Vaidishova and last year's tournament winner Martina Hingis starred. Nadezhda Petrova refused to continue the third round match against Dementieva because of back problems. And Amelie Moresmo, who can’t get in shape after the operation, lost the first match in a bitter fight (in the third set in a tie-break) to the Australian Samantha Stosur.
Justine Henin is the only one who did not come to the tournament in Rome for reasons of principle. According to Justine, she prepared well enough for the Roland Garros in Berlin. The Belgian traditionally checks her readiness there. In Berlin, she performed 6 times, never flew before the semi-finals and 3 times became the winner. And in Rome, Justine played only once, in 2002, and then in the final she lost to Serena Williams. Incidentally, this was their only meeting on the ground in history, which remained for Serena.
Serena’s chances, even with the full composition, would have looked very weighty, but now they just jumped to heaven. If she did not star in the first matches, then she feels well physically, the rest is a matter of mood. And the mood of Serena this year is such that she wins everything in a row.
The quarter-finals in Rome have already been identified. In addition to Serena, these are Patti Schnyder, Elena Yankovich, Daniela Hantuhova, Anabel Medina-Garrigues. Russia is represented by Dementieva, Kuznetsova and Safina. If you add up all the statistics of Serena's personal meetings with all the quarter-finalists, it turns out that the American leads 21: 3.
Hantuhov won one meeting with Serena at the Australian Open last year, then Jankovic won in Los Angeles. The only victory of all quarter-finalists over Serena on the ground dates back to the distant 2002, and then the winner was Patti Schnyder, who will become the next rival of Serena in Rome. For reaching the final, Serena will argue with the winner of the Dementiev couple - Yankovich. But actually in the finale I would like to see Svetlana Kuznetsova. It would have turned out to be a very interesting finale, especially since the last time the tennis players met back in 2004. Then in Beijing, Kuznetsova lost to Serena her first final after winning the US Open and Bali.
It would be nice if Svetlana, inspired by the victory over Justin Henin in Berlin, would finally soak the score in personal meetings with Serena - 0: 2. In addition, Kuznetsova this year has very disappointing statistics for the finals. She was in three: in Doha, in Indian Wells and in Berlin. And did not win a single one. It would be good to break this sad trend precisely in Rome, because Svetlana has to defend the final at Roland Garros.
However, we will not get ahead of ourselves. Kuznetsova has a date with Dinara Safina on her nose. In personal meetings, the Russians have equality - 3: 3. And it was Dinara who did not let Kuznetsova into the final in Rome last year. In the semifinals, the second seeded Kuznetsova will likely have to argue with Daniela Hantuhova, whom the Russian woman lost this year in the final in Indian Wells.
It’s time for Sveta to try. In the absence of Justin Henin, she seems the only one who can compete with Serena on the ground.
Ksenia VITRYAK