The 2007 Women's Draw Report
by Savannah
The Australian Open draw came out Thursday night in the Eastern United States and until Sunday, tennisheads will be debating what could happen. Until the first ball is tossed up in the first match all we can do is speculate. I'm going to break down the women's draw by section and by quarter. I'm not speculating beyond that.
Maria Sharapova RUS (1) vs. Camille Pin FRA
Roberta Vinci ITA vs. Anastassia Rodionova RUS
QUALIFIER vs. Meghann Shaughnessy USA
Emmanuelle Gagliardi SUI vs. Tathiana Garbin ITA (30)
Winner: Maria Sharapova.
The only seed Pova has to face in her quarter is Tathiana Garbin ranked # 30. Roberta Vinci is a good player but has nothing to threaten Pova with. Rodionova? Never heard of her and never seen her play. Meghann is a non-entity here. I havent't seen her in a few years but if she hasn't put on weight and changed her game, she's cannon fodder in this part of the draw as well. I don't know anything about Gagliardi and probably won't after the Open either.
Vera Zvonareva RUS (22) vs. Tzipora Obziler ISR
QUALIFIER vs. Severine Bremond FRA
Varvara Lepchenko UZB vs. Agnieszka Radwanska POL
Vania King USA vs. Ana Ivanovic SRB (13)
Bepa should beat Obziler and Bremond should win over a qualifier. Agnes should win over Lepchenko, a player I am not familiar with at all. Unless Vania King plays the match of her life, Ana Ivanovic should win. Between Bremond and Ivanovic I pick Ana. Between Ana and Bepa I pick Ana.
Winner: Ana Ivanovic
In a match between Ana and Maria I think Ana could win but that Maria's will will push her into the quarterfinals.
Section winner:
Maria Sharapova
Anna Chakvetadze RUS (12) vs. Sybille Bammer AUT
Yulia Beygelzimer UKR vs. Laura Granville USA
Sophie Ferguson AUS vs. Jelena Kostanic Tosic CRO
QUALIFIER vs. Samantha Stosur AUS (24)
Bammer just made a nice run. I'm not in love with Anna C but I'll go with popular opinion and pick her over Bammer. It doesn't matter who wins between Beygelzimer and Granville unless Bammer finds a way to beat Anna C. If Bammer wins She gets to meet…Stosur against whom she may have a fighting chance. The winner of Ferguson and Kostanic Tosic should lose to Stosur who should come out a winner against a qualifier. I haven't seen anyone but Anna C in this section and I was not impressed. She may be the one, but I'll have to see it to believe it.
Winner: Stosur or Chakvetadze
Flavia Pennetta ITA (28) vs. Kaia Kanepi EST
Yung-Jan Chan TPE vs. Alicia Molik AUS
QUALIFIER vs. Shuai Peng CHN
Madison Brengle USA vs. Patty Schnyder SUI (8)
Flavia Pennetta has the talent to beat anyone. Whether she wants to or not will determine this section. The wild card in this section is Molik. She should win over Ms Yung to meet Flavia. If Flavia isn't distracted she should give Molik a run for her money. If I was betting I'd go for Molik vs Schnyder with Schnyder maybe pulling this out. Schnyder vs Anna C would go to Schnyder unless she loses interest along the way.
Winner: Patty Schnyder or Alicia Molik
When she wants to Patty can beat anyone. I think she can beat Stosur or Chakvetadze.
Section Winner:
Patty Schnyder
Kim Clijsters BEL (4) vs. Vasilisa Bardina RUS
Akiko Morigami JPN vs. Tsvetana Pironkova BUL
Nicole Pratt AUS vs. Virginie Razzano FRA
QUALIFIER vs. Alona Bondarenko UKR (29)
Winner: Kim Clijsters
Anna-Lena Groenefeld GER (17) vs. QUALIFIER
Ashley Harkleroad USA vs. Meng Yuan CHN
Emilie Loit FRA vs. Aravane Rezai FRA
QUALIFIER vs. Daniela Hantuchova SVK (15)
It really doesn't matter who wins here. ALG is totally out of shape. Ashley H will win over Yuan. Rezai is a woman people are watching and may pull it out over Loit. Hantuchova can't move but depending on who she plays she may meet Rezai. It doesn't matter.
Section Winner:
Kim Clijsters
Dinara Safina RUS (9) vs. Ekaterina Bychkova RUS
Youlia Fedossova FRA vs. Catalina Castano COL
QUALIFIER vs. Lourdes Dominguez Lino ESP
Elena Bovina RUS vs. Na Li CHN (19)
Safina vs Li Na? Possibly. Just for kicks and giggles I'll pick Li Na only because of the Safin family history. Dinara could lose to Bychkova.
Winner: Li Na
Eleni Daniilidou GRE (32) vs. Aiko Nakamura JPN
Olga Savchuk UKR vs. Sania Mirza IND
QUALIFIER vs. Emma Laine FIN
Nathalie Dechy FRA vs. Martina Hingis SUI (6)
Sania Mirza vs Hingis. That's a pick 'em in my book. I haven't seen Sania play in awhile but she has been playing. The floater in this section is Eleni. When she's healthy she's dangerous. I just don't think Hingis will lose to her. If Hingis comes out of this section she'll be loaded for bear.
Section Winner:
Pick 'em.
If Li comes out of the top part and has to play Martina it'll be Martina. If Safina comes out of the top section it'll be pick 'em. Hingis has the experience but I saw Safina dismantle Pova. Edge goes to Safina because on a good day she just comes to take names.
Bottom Half
Nadia Petrova RUS (5) vs. Tamarine Tanasugarn THA
Gisela Dulko ARG vs. Tiantian Sun CHN
Michaella Krajicek NED vs. QUALIFIER
Serena Williams USA vs. Mara Santangelo ITA (27)
JJ's section of the draw. Serena should beat Mara. Michaella is too much of a headcase to be taken seriously at a Slam. Sun could beat Dulko. I'd like to think it'll be Serena vs Petrova out of this section. Unless Terror Fabulous shows up this will be tight but Petrova could come out of this part of the draw.
Winner: Nadia Petrova
Marion Bartoli FRA (18) vs. Vera Dushevina RUS
Victoria Azarenka BLR vs. Yuliana Fedak UKR
Melinda Czink HUN vs. Virginia Ruano Pascual ESP
Aleksandra Wozniak CAN vs. Jelena Jankovic SRB (11)
Again this is JJ's section. And her quarter is surprisingly tough. Fedak, Azarenka and Bartoli have game. Adrenaline should take JJ past Wozniak and Ruano Pascual. Maid Marion's fitness will be an issue not because she's played too much but because, well, because. Bartoli vs JJ could be a pick 'em since both women will be running on fumes.
Winner: Jelena Jankovic
Section Winner:
Nadia Petrova
Shahar Peer ISR (16) vs. Romina Oprandi ITA
Edina Gallovits ROM vs. Meilen Tu USA
Zuzana Ondraskova CZE vs. Clarisa Fernandez ARG
Anna Smashnova ISR vs. Tatiana Golovin FRA (20)
Golovin vs Peer. Peer has played a lot.
Winner: Tatiana Golovin
Maria Kirilenko RUS (26) vs. Karolina Sprem CRO
QUALIFIER vs. Elena Likhovtseva RUS
Iroda Tulyaganova UZB vs. Monique Adamczak AUS
Jessica Moore AUS vs. Svetlana Kuznetsova RUS (3)
Sveta should win this section. Kirilenko may be all that but what has she done in tennis lately? Likhovtseva has been disappointing. But what Sveta should do she doesn't always do.
Winner: Svetlana Kuznetsova
Golovin vs Kuznetsova goes to an in-form and focused Kuznetsova. Sveta can beat anyone when she's on and she can lose to anyone when she's off.
Section Winner:
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Elena Dementieva RUS (7) vs. Stephanie Foretz FRA
Martina Muller GER vs. QUALIFIER
Maria Elena Camerin ITA vs. Kirsten Flipkens BEL
Elena Vesnina RUS vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues ESP (25)
The Demented One should win this. Then again, maybe not.
Winner: Elena Dementieva
Katarina Srebotnik SLO (21) vs. Casey Dellacqua AUS
Iveta Benesova CZE vs. Galina Voskoboeva RUS
Jarmila Gajdosova SVK vs. Milagros Sequera VEN
Jill Craybas USA vs. Nicole Vaidisova CZE (10)
The Demented One against Nicole. Meh.
Section Winner:
Nicole Vaidisova
Francesca Schiavone ITA (14) vs. Sandra Kloesel GER
Lucie Safarova CZE vs. Alberta Brianti ITA
Laura Pous Tio ESP vs. Anastasiya Yakimova BLR
Sofia Arvidsson SWE vs. Ai Sugiyama JPN (23)
Based solely on the Australian Open Series I see Arvidsson playing either Safarova or Schiavone.
Winner: Francesca Schiavone
Jie Zheng CHN (31) vs. Julia Schruff GER
Martina Sucha SVK vs. Eva Birnerova CZE
Marta Domachowska POL vs. Olga Poutchkova RUS
Shenay Perry USA vs. Amélie Mauresmo FRA (2)
No one here can beat Amélie unless of course she loses focus along the way.
Amelie vs Schiavone
Section Winner:
Amélie Mauresmo
Quarterfinalists
Top Half
Maria Sharapova
Patty Schnyder
Kim Clijsters
Li Na or Dinara Safina
Bottom Half
Nadia Petrova
Svetlana Kuznetsova
Nicole Vaidisova
Amélie Mauresmo
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