It's hard to believe that Gisela Dulko has lost in the first round in four straight red clay tournaments, but she has. In Barcelona, she lost in a third set tiebreak to Sara Errani, a good clay court player who is having problems of her own this season. In Stuttgart, she had the bad fortune of drawing Jelena Jankovic. Dulko lost another third set tiebreak, this time to Patty Schnyder, in Rome. And in Madrid, she lost to Sam Stosur, 7-6, 6-4.
Dulko isn't the only one having a tough time in Europe. Higher up the ranking ladder, Caroline Wozniacki is continuing to have problems because of the ankle she turned in Charleston. The injury was thought to be superficial, so either it's worse than the doctor(s) thought, or--more likely--Wozniacki has simply played too much. Wozniacki, the top seed, retired in Warsaw today, but one cannot help but question what she was doing there in the first place.
Of course, no contender has had worse luck than Kim Clijsters, whose Fed Cup foot injury caused her to withdraw from the French Open
Dulko's streak may continue -- at Roland Garros she plays Victoria Azarenka in the first round! The draw there is crazy, with Henin given an amazingly tough path strewn with Sharapova in round 3, Stosur in round 4, and Serena in the quarters (round 5). Every one of those opponents will be highly motivated and extremely dangerous. There are a couple of very easy (quarter) brackets. This is by far the toughest.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the draws-I really do not pay much attention to them. There is often upsets at majors. I remember back in 2007 at the US Open when the media had Sharapova written in as the winner or at least the finalist in her half and then she was out in the third rd by Radwanska. Yes, though sometimes things go according to seeds. With regard to Woz, I remember an interview where she said the doctors told her after Charleston, that if she played on her ankle it wouldn't get worse. Well the thing is playing on the ankle can't make it better either. I think she should have sat out a couple of the clay tournaments. Maybe she could have played Madrid since she had a lot of points there but....
ReplyDeleteI saw Dulko's draw--wow. There's potential there for an upset.
ReplyDeleteI don't think Justine will be bothered until she gets to Stosur, and if Stosur's serve isn't really on that day, Justine will advance.
As for Wozniacki, she needed to sit out some tournaments, I think, even if she hadn't injured her ankle.
Small correction, Diane ;> If Henin is Henin, the best clay-courter of her generation, she will win whether Stosur's serve is on or not. And having played Sam recently is a huge plus since Justine had three sets to figure that serve out. If Henin is not the Henin of 2007, then Stosur certainly has the game to trouble her. Not to mention Serena...
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Jen, of course. But I am sensing Justine is a tad vulnerable these days. Of course, once she sets foot on the court at Roland Garros, that could change dramatically. The good news for fans is that Justine reports she is feeling good physically.
ReplyDeleteFair enough, Diane. And to tell you the truth, I'm a bit concerned about Justine's condition. In the past, she has often declared herself completely fit when in fact she was not. Now, she has only recently begun to practice hard again after her bout with flu. And she missed an entire tournament of conditioning through the early loss to Rezai. I doubt she will be vulnerable in the first couple of rounds, but after that the trifecta of Sharapova, Stosur, and Serena (something of a ring to that!) seems daunting for someone in less than tip-top shape. Still, it's Henin at the French -- impossible is nothing?
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