Who will triumph?

Ana Ivanovic or Dinara Safina: Who will lift the trophy tomorrow?

Ivanovic has experience on her side: She was the finalist last year and a semifinalist the year before. There is reason to believe she has most likely shaken off the nerves that plagued her in 2007. She also has a victory in a see-saw semifinal to give her confidence.

Ivanovic is known for her lightning forehand, of course, but she is also an excellent server--most of the time; when she is nervous, her ball toss gets her in trouble. Ivanovic is a smart and aggressive player, and being aggressive has paid off for her in big ways.

Safina had a breakthrough a few years ago, but then failed to capitalize on it. She broke through again last month in Berlin, winning her first Tier I title and taking out Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva along the way. My gut feeling was that she would not fade when she arrived in Paris, and I was right. Instead, she has given us more thrilling tennis than we have seen in a single tournament in a long time. Continuing the come-from-far-behind antics she exhibited in Berlin, Safina has won heart-stopping thrillers against both Maria Sharapova and Dementieva, each time coming from way behind and saving match points.

Will Safina have anything left by the time she gets to the final? She said she thought the lack of rest helped her win her semifinal against Svetlana Kuznetsova today because she had not had time to wind down mentally, and her body just followed orders. But now she has a day of rest, and she could crash.

The pressure is on Ivanovic, not just because she has the higher ranking, but because she is now the world number 1. Ivanovic can fall victim to nerves from time to time. On the other hand, she came back from a break down twice in the third set yesterday to win her semifinal, certainly a display of mental toughness. And despite her past, there is now no doubting the mental toughness of Dinara Safina.

My best guess, after weighing all factors, is that Safina will have the mental edge and Ivanovic will have the physical edge.

Friday cat blogging--French Open edition, part 2

Jardin du Luxembourg

Jardin des Plantes

Quai d'Orsay

Louvre

Hantuchova planning her return

Since she's been out with that terrible heel injury, Daniela Hantuchova has been walking on a treadmill, reading and doing yoga. She hopes to be back for the Ordina Open in mid-June.

Memo to commentators

To John McEnroe, Justin Gimelstob and Rennae Stubbs: They are not (with very few exceptions) girls.

To Ted Robinson: They are not young girls.

To Martina Navratilova and Chris Fowler: They are not guys.

To all of you: Would it really kill you to learn how to pronounce their names? I mean, isn't saying their names what you do for a living?

Junior girls' number 1 seed upset

American Melanie Oudin, the top seed in the junior girls competition at Roland Garros, was upset in the quarterfinals today by number 10 seed Elena Bogdan of Romania. Oudin, a member of the 4th ranked doubles team, is also out of doubles competition.

Ivanovic new world number 1

World number 2 Ana Ivanovic, world number 3 Jelena Jankovic and world number 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova were all in line to take the number 1 spot away from Maria Sharapova (who got it when Justine Henin retired recently), pending results at the French Open. Since Jankovic and Kuznetsova both lost their semifinal matches, Ivanovic is the new world number 1.

Safina to face Ivanovic in French Open final

Safina says she will give "everything I have..." in tomorrow's French Open final

Dinara Safina, undoubtedly worn out from starring in her non-stop thrill show at the French Open, was not as sharp as she could have been today, but it made no difference. Svetlana Kuznetsova, a charter member of the Head Case 3 (the other two being rivals Patty Schnyder and Daniela Hantuchova), had the same mental collapse we have now come to expect of her at big moments, and allowed Safina to take an easy win at 6-3, 6-2.

I saw the first set and part of the second set of the Jankovic-Ivanovic match, then I had to leave the house. What seemed the most obvious to me--though no commentator mentioned it--was that Jankovic, about halfway through the set, began making less than wise shot selections, which is not like her at all. I figured my bad luck would be to come back and walk in on the third set of the replay, and that is exactly what happened. I missed seeing Jankovic win the second set, and I missed seeing her go up a break in the third, for a lead of 3-1. I did get to see her go up a break for a 4-3 lead, however, and then have it immediately taken from her. I noticed that Ivanovic hit over and over to Jankovic's forehand, which is not only her weaker side, but which is the side that has been hurting her this past week.

Later in the evening, I was able to see the second set and the first part of the third set. The momentum changed so many times, it made my head spin like one of Patty Schnyder's tennis balls.

Jankovic is rid of Henin, but she has to find a way to beat Ivanovic, not just come close to beating her.