May 27, 2005
Roland Garros: Day 6 Preview
PARIS - The bottom half of the draw takes to the court on Saturday, as third round action comes to completion on the red clay of the 2005 French Open. Maria Sharapova and Amelie Mauresmo lead the way, with Svetlana Kuznetsova and Justine Henin-Hardenne also in action. The following is a preview for Saturday's third round matches:
(2) Maria Sharapova (RUS) vs. Anna Chakvetadze (RUS) - First Meeting
The hard-hitting Russian has become more comfortable on clay in recent weeks, reaching the quarterfinals at Berlin and her career-first clay court semifinal the next week in Rome. She has won seven of nine matches on the dirt so far in 2005, including a tough 67(3) 62 64 first round victory against 41st-ranked Evgenia Linetskaya and a 63 62 win over French wild card Aravane Rezai. Next she will face 56th-ranked compatriot Anna Chakvetadze, who is coming off a quarterfinal showing last week in Istanbul. Playing in Paris for the first time, Chakvetadze began her tournament with a 75 16 60 upset of No.26 seed Paola Suarez, followed by a 64 63 second round win over 42nd-ranked Klara Koukalova. The two 18-year-olds will be playing each other for the first time.
(3) Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) vs. (29) Ana Ivanovic (SCG) - Mauresmo leads 3-0
After winning her second straight Italian Open title earlier this month, Mauresmo is one of the firm favourites to go all the way in Paris. She will have a tough task on Saturday, however, as she faces the powerful Ivanovic. The Serbian teenager has been in excellent form as of late, her best result on the clay being a semifinal finish at Warsaw. She has cruised through her first two rounds, defeating 103rd-ranked Stephanie Foretz 63 63 first, then advancing to the third round with a 63 61 win over 55th-ranked Iveta Benesova. Mauresmo has also had a smooth path thus far, dropping a total of only five games in wins over 111th-ranked Evie Dominikovic and French wild card Alize Cornet. Mauresmo has defeated Ivanovic all three times they have met, most recently a 61 64 quarterfinal victory at Miami.
(6) Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. Marissa Irvin (USA) - First Meeting
The reigning US Open champion (pictured) has had a solid clay court season, highlighted by snapping the 17-match win streak of Kim Clijsters en route to a runner-up finish at Warsaw. She began her campaign for the Roland Garros title with a 61 61 victory over French wild card Mathilde Johansson, followed up by a tougher 63 64 win over qualifier Sofia Arvidsson. She will next play 85th-ranked American Marissa Irvin, who is making her third straight third round appearance in Paris. Irvin began her week with a marathon 57 64 86 win over 108th-ranked Nicole Pratt, then had her best win since last July with a 64 75 upset of No.30 seed Gisela Dulko. Kuznetsova and Irvin will be playing for the first time.
(7) Nadia Petrova (RUS) vs. Shahar Peer (ISR) - First Meeting
2003 semifinalist Petrova reached her third and biggest career Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final recently at Berlin, upsetting Mauresmo en route. In addition, her 12-3 clay court record this season includes a semifinal finish at Amelia Island, and routine early round wins here over 64th-ranked Mashona Washington and 132nd-ranked Severine Beltrame. She will face a rising star in the 84th-ranked Peer, a recent Istanbul quarterfinalist who followed up a 64 63 first round win here over No.28 seed Marion Bartoli with a 61 16 64 victory over 59th-ranked Kveta Peschke. Petrova will be facing Peer for the first time.
(10) Justine Henin-Hardenne (BEL) vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues (ESP) - Henin-Hardenne leads 2-0
The 2003 champion has been in immaculate form this year on clay. After making her season debut in Miami, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing in three sets to Sharapova, she has won 19 straight matches, including title runs at Charleston, Warsaw and Berlin. She began her campaign for a second Roland Garros title with a 60 46 64 win over 45th-ranked veteran Conchita Martinez, and advanced to the third round with a 61 64 win over 66th-ranked Virginia Ruano Pascual. She will next face her third straight Spaniard in 34th-ranked Anabel Medina Garrigues, who comes into the third round on her own streak, winning her last seven matches, including a title run last week in Strasbourg and routine early round wins here over qualifier Petra Mandula and No.24 seed Magdalena Maleeva. Henin-Hardenne has won their two previous meetings, most recently a tough 76(3) 46 64 victory in the opening round of Estoril back in 2001.
(12) Elena Bovina (RUS) vs. (17) Tatiana Golovin (FRA) - Tied 1-1
Bovina comes into Paris after quarterfinal finishes at Warsaw, Berlin and Rome. She has made it through to her second straight third round here after a 60 63 first round win over 54th-ranked Maria Vento-Kabchi and a 61 16 64 second round win over 65th-ranked Tathiana Garbin. On Saturday she will face Tatiana Golovin, who recently reached her first Tier I semifinal at the clay court event in Charleston. The rising French star has had the field's easiest path through to the third round, dropping a combined total of three games in defeating 99th-ranked Lilia Osterloh and 86th-ranked Antonella Serra Zanetti. Bovina and Golovin have split two previous meetings. Bovina prevailed 64 61 in the first round here in 2003, while Golovin won 63 76(4) earlier this season at Miami.
(13) Nathalie Dechy (FRA) vs. Nuria Llagostera Vives (ESP) - Dechy leads 2-0
France's No.2 Dechy is appearing in the third round at Roland Garros for the sixth time, after straight sets early round wins over 107th-ranked Michaela Pastikova and 53rd-ranked Samantha Stosur. She will next face Llagostera Vives, who is having the best season of her career, recently winning her first Tour title at Rabat and making her Top 50 debut. She is making her career-second trip to the third round here after a 63 46 64 first round upset of No.23 seed Ai Sugiyama and a 76(2) 60 win over 80th-ranked Kristina Brandi. Dechy has defeated the Spaniard in three sets in their two previous encounters, most recently a 61 36 60 victory here in the first round in 2002.
(22) Francesca Schiavone (ITA) vs. Anna-Lena Groenefeld (GER) - First Meeting
2001 quarterfinalist Schiavone recently appeared in her second straight Italian Open quarterfinal, defeating seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams en route. She began this week with a tough 63 36 64 win over 57th-ranked Zheng Jie, following that up with an impressive 62 76(5) win over 35th-ranked Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova, who was coming off a runner-up finish at Istanbul. She will next face Groenefeld, who reached her first Tour final earlier this year at Pattaya City. The 44th-ranked German teenager has advanced with a 75 16 64 first round win over recent Estoril winner Lucie Safarova followed by a 61 60 drubbing of 60th-ranked Anna Smashnova, a nine-time Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title winner. Schiavone and Groenefeld have not played prior to this event.
