Wednesday at the Rogers Cup in Toronto, Canada brings us some great second round action. We'll be seeing most of the top seeds, and we'll be seeing certain players for the first time since Wimbledon. Read on for the Wednesday preview!
Showing posts with label Sharapova. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sharapova. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Week In Review II
Throughout the week, we were treated to some great tennis. Because of that, I spent most of my time watching tennis instead of writing about it. That said, I'm still writing this recap of the week. Read on to see what happened this week and to see my thoughts on Serena Williams's comeback.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Washington DC- Citi Open Preview
The Citi Open at Washington DC is an international event happening next week. It is not part of the US Open series. Although the tournament may seem pretty lackluster with no players in the top 20, there are still some interesting stories to be told here. I hope you take the chance and read on.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Stanford Preview
The Bank of the West Classic at Stanford is the first event of the US Open Series for the WTA. It is a premier event that will feature four members of the top ten as well as six more players in the top 32. Serena Williams will also be competing in Stanford. Last year at Stanford, Victoria Azarenka beat Maria Sharapova in the finals, 6-4 6-1. Will Azarenka be able to defend her championship and capture her third singles title of the year?
US Open Series Preview
The US Open Series is a series of five premier events for both genders. The WTA US Open series begins next week with Stanford and ends with New Haven. The two biggest events of the US Open Series are at Cincinnati and Toronto. Although the US Open Series is a great way to warm up for the US Open in late August, there is another bonus to doing well here- the top three finishers in the US Open series will win an extra million dollars in prize money if they win the US Open.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
An Introduction to "Generation Suck"
Generation Suck is the name many tennis fans have given to the new generation of tennis players. Why is the new generation called Generation Suck? Well, the biggest reason is that they have failed to achieve the success that they were expected to have. And they haven't been able to push out the older players despite growing older themselves. Furthermore, Generation Suck currently only owns one Grand Slam- Wimbledon 2011. However, as more and more of the Old Guard are playing less and less or even retiring, these women are becoming the future of the WTA. The members of Generation Suck are:
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
Caroline Wozniacki
Victoria Azarenka
Petra Kvitova
Petra Kvitova
Andrea Petkovic
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
Yanina Wickmayer
Sabine Lisicki
Alisa Kleybanova (Adida Kelybanova)
Compare those players with some of the Old Guard like Elena Dementieva, Justine Henin and the Williams sisters. Now you see why we call this new crop of players Generation Suck right?
How are the members of Generation Suck determined? As you can see, the deciding factor for entry into Generation Suck is not age. Notable young tennis players who aren't in Generation Suck include Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic who enjoyed success prior to the beginnings of Generation Suck (which is a name, a group, a period of time and so much more.) Generation Suck belongs to the players who are young and who really started to experience their success starting in mid-2009. These players have just started to become household names (in a select few households I might add.)
Over the next week and a half to two weeks, I will analyze each of these players. Enjoy.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Wimbledon Final Pick- WTA
[5] Maria Sharapova vs [8] Petra Kvitova
I really don't know who is going to win this. I'm going to go with Kvitova in three just because I've been rooting for her the whole tournament.
Let's compare the two shot by shot:
Serve:
Sharapova's first serve isn't bad by any means. She's gone back to her old service motion, and she is serving in the 100's which is fine. However, she isn't really getting a high percentage of first serves in which will hurt her in this marriage because it will force her to go to her second serve which is what will really hurt her in this match. Sharapova's second serve is slower than her first serve, but it doesn't have much spin, so it is still a low margin shot. She had thirteen double faults during her match against Lisicki, and Kvitova has a better ROS than Lisicki, so Sharapova may feel like she needs to go for more on her second serve which will give her even more double faults.
Kvitova's serve is considered one of the best in the women's game. It isn't the fastest serve in the game, (her fastest serve at Wimbledon this year clocked in at 113 MPH) but it has variety. She has a great flat serve and a great slice serve, and both have great placement. She hits a lot of aces, and she can open up the court on the ad side with her slice serve out wide. Her second serve isn't bad either. Because she usually slices it, she can still start a point well off of her second serve.
Forehand:
Sharapova's forehand is a great shot. It is hit hard and deep, and she can hit it well on the run as well.
Kvitova's forehand is both her better side and her weaker side. She hits her forehand harder than her backhand, but her forehand often breaks down when she runs into rough spots. Although she normally hits pretty flat, she can add top spin at times.
Backhand:
Sharapova has a stronger backhand than Kvitova. She hits it harder and deeper. However, Kvitova has more variety on her backhand than Sharapova does. Kvitova has a good slice backhand that stays very low on the grass. She will want to use it to get Sharapova to make mistakes.
Return of Serve:
Both Sharapova and Kvitova will be aggressive when returning serve. Kvitova will likely have more success with her ROS because of Sharapova's weaker serve.
Netplay:
Since Sharapova almost never comes to net and Kvitova isn't terrible at net, Kvitova has the edge here. However, she needs to make sure that she hits better approach shots than she did in her semifinal match against Azarenka. Otherwise, she'll get passed every time she tries to come in.
Movement:
Neither player is a great mover, but Sharapova hits harder ground strokes on the run.
Mental Game:
Sharapova definitely has the edge here. Not only has she already won three slams, but she is a great competitor. She has the ability to induce short term memory loss on herself when she is down, and she won't give up even when her serve has completely deserted her.
Kvitova, on the other hand, doesn't have a great mental game. She often starts out great. However, in her two most recent matches, her level of play dropped significantly for a few games after the first set. She started to spray forehands, and she stopped moving her feet. Although she was able to recover in both of those matches, she cannot allow herself to gift Sharapova a single game in the final if she wants to win. Also, because she has never reached a major final before, it is unknown whether she'll be able to handle the pressure of playing such a huge match.
I really don't know who is going to win this. I'm going to go with Kvitova in three just because I've been rooting for her the whole tournament.
Let's compare the two shot by shot:
Serve:
Sharapova's first serve isn't bad by any means. She's gone back to her old service motion, and she is serving in the 100's which is fine. However, she isn't really getting a high percentage of first serves in which will hurt her in this marriage because it will force her to go to her second serve which is what will really hurt her in this match. Sharapova's second serve is slower than her first serve, but it doesn't have much spin, so it is still a low margin shot. She had thirteen double faults during her match against Lisicki, and Kvitova has a better ROS than Lisicki, so Sharapova may feel like she needs to go for more on her second serve which will give her even more double faults.
Kvitova's serve is considered one of the best in the women's game. It isn't the fastest serve in the game, (her fastest serve at Wimbledon this year clocked in at 113 MPH) but it has variety. She has a great flat serve and a great slice serve, and both have great placement. She hits a lot of aces, and she can open up the court on the ad side with her slice serve out wide. Her second serve isn't bad either. Because she usually slices it, she can still start a point well off of her second serve.
Forehand:
Sharapova's forehand is a great shot. It is hit hard and deep, and she can hit it well on the run as well.
Kvitova's forehand is both her better side and her weaker side. She hits her forehand harder than her backhand, but her forehand often breaks down when she runs into rough spots. Although she normally hits pretty flat, she can add top spin at times.
Backhand:
Sharapova has a stronger backhand than Kvitova. She hits it harder and deeper. However, Kvitova has more variety on her backhand than Sharapova does. Kvitova has a good slice backhand that stays very low on the grass. She will want to use it to get Sharapova to make mistakes.
Return of Serve:
Both Sharapova and Kvitova will be aggressive when returning serve. Kvitova will likely have more success with her ROS because of Sharapova's weaker serve.
Netplay:
Since Sharapova almost never comes to net and Kvitova isn't terrible at net, Kvitova has the edge here. However, she needs to make sure that she hits better approach shots than she did in her semifinal match against Azarenka. Otherwise, she'll get passed every time she tries to come in.
Movement:
Neither player is a great mover, but Sharapova hits harder ground strokes on the run.
Mental Game:
Sharapova definitely has the edge here. Not only has she already won three slams, but she is a great competitor. She has the ability to induce short term memory loss on herself when she is down, and she won't give up even when her serve has completely deserted her.
Kvitova, on the other hand, doesn't have a great mental game. She often starts out great. However, in her two most recent matches, her level of play dropped significantly for a few games after the first set. She started to spray forehands, and she stopped moving her feet. Although she was able to recover in both of those matches, she cannot allow herself to gift Sharapova a single game in the final if she wants to win. Also, because she has never reached a major final before, it is unknown whether she'll be able to handle the pressure of playing such a huge match.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Wimbledon Semifinal Picks- Part I
[5] Maria Sharapova vs [WC] Sabine Lisicki
It will be the oddsmakers' favorite against the girl who defied all odds to get this far. Although on paper, Sharapova goes in the overwhelming favorite, I feel it could go either way.
Sharapova has been playing with authority for the whole tournament. She routed Cibulkova in the quarterfinals 6-1 6-1. She will be looking to punish Lisicki's second serve which is often in the 70-80 MPH range. Sharapova will go into this match with confidence knowing that she won their only match 6-2 6-0. However, she knows that Lisicki was just coming back to the game in March of 2011 when Sharapova routed her. In order to win, Sharapova will need to get a high percentage of first serves in as she has a very low-margin second serve that is prone to breaking down. Sharapova has been doing a great job of keeping her double faults down.
Much has been said about how Sabine Lisicki needed to write a letter to the AELTC begging for a wild card. There has also been a lot said about her first serve. Lisicki's first serve is one of the best in the women's game. She has clocked the fastest serve at Wimbledon on the women's at 124 MPH. She is able to hit aces during high-pressure moments which was apparent when she served four un-returnable serves when she was down double match point to the Roland Garros champion, Li Na. However, her second serve will be a sitting duck. However, besides her serve, Lisicki has a lot going for her. She has penetrating shots, and her forehand will get her many winners. She has excellent drop shots and top spin lobs off both sides, so she will be able to move Sharapova around the court. Also, she doesn't need to face as much pressure as Sharapova, so she can swing freely.
Although this match is hard to call, I'll go with the upset. I think that Sabine has showed a great deal of mental toughness in her matches so far, and she has shown that she can serve herself out of danger. If she doesn't let the moment get to her, she will advance in three tough sets to her first major final.
It will be the oddsmakers' favorite against the girl who defied all odds to get this far. Although on paper, Sharapova goes in the overwhelming favorite, I feel it could go either way.
Sharapova has been playing with authority for the whole tournament. She routed Cibulkova in the quarterfinals 6-1 6-1. She will be looking to punish Lisicki's second serve which is often in the 70-80 MPH range. Sharapova will go into this match with confidence knowing that she won their only match 6-2 6-0. However, she knows that Lisicki was just coming back to the game in March of 2011 when Sharapova routed her. In order to win, Sharapova will need to get a high percentage of first serves in as she has a very low-margin second serve that is prone to breaking down. Sharapova has been doing a great job of keeping her double faults down.
Much has been said about how Sabine Lisicki needed to write a letter to the AELTC begging for a wild card. There has also been a lot said about her first serve. Lisicki's first serve is one of the best in the women's game. She has clocked the fastest serve at Wimbledon on the women's at 124 MPH. She is able to hit aces during high-pressure moments which was apparent when she served four un-returnable serves when she was down double match point to the Roland Garros champion, Li Na. However, her second serve will be a sitting duck. However, besides her serve, Lisicki has a lot going for her. She has penetrating shots, and her forehand will get her many winners. She has excellent drop shots and top spin lobs off both sides, so she will be able to move Sharapova around the court. Also, she doesn't need to face as much pressure as Sharapova, so she can swing freely.
Although this match is hard to call, I'll go with the upset. I think that Sabine has showed a great deal of mental toughness in her matches so far, and she has shown that she can serve herself out of danger. If she doesn't let the moment get to her, she will advance in three tough sets to her first major final.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Wimbledon Quarterfinal Predictions- Part I
[24] Dominika Cibulkova vs [5] Maria Sharapova
Cibulkova came back from a terrible first set against Wozniacki today to win in three- 1-6 7-6 (5) 7-5. She hits the ball quite hard. But so does Maria Sharapova who demolished Peng Shuai in straight sets 6-4 6-2 to advance to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in five years. Although Cibulkova has gotten the better in their two most recent matches, the two have never played on grass where Sharapova is the superior player. Sharapova will advance in three well contested sets.
Sabine Lisicki vs [9] Marion Bartoli
This match is a tossup. I don't know who will win. Both hit the ball hard and have effective serves. I'll give it to Lisicki in three on the grounds that she can serve her way out of trouble more effectively than Bartoli can. However, if Pierce Brosnan shows up, Lisicki will lose in two sets.
Tamira Paszek vs [4] Victoria Azarenka
I should be honest. Until she defeated Francesca Schiavone in the third round, I had forgotten who Tamira Paszek was. I still haven't seen her play very much. But from what I have seen, I've noticed that she has improved her fitness and has solid strokes. Victoria Azarenka has blossomed this year winning two titles and rising to a career high rank of four. Known for her shrieking and her tendency to retire during matches, Azarenka will want to continue her success in 2011 by reaching her first major semifinal. She knows that this is as good an opportunity as any seeing as she faces an unseeded player who had never reached a quarterfinal of a major before.
[8] Petra Kvitova vs [32] Tsvetana Pironkova
Today, Tsvetana Pironkova proved two things to the world. She can play on grass, and she can beat Venus Williams. Her forehand has improved from last year, and her slice forehand stayed low and drew errors from Venus. Her backhand is quite solid, and her first serve was fast and well placed.
However, Kvitova played an amazing match as well demolishing the 19th seed Yanina Wickmayer 6-0 6-2. One stat about this match that really stood out was the percent of points that Kvitova won on her first serve- 94%. It's no wonder she didn't face a single break point during the match.
Kvitova can definitely overpower Pironkova. Kvitova serves better and hits harder off both wings. She is also no slouch at net. Because of her hard groundstrokes, she can often come into net to finish off points. However, if Pironkova can take Kvitova out of her groove by mixing things up with slices and moonballs, she might be able to pull off the upset. However the match lies on Kvitova's racket.
Now that Serena and Venus are out, Petra Kvitova must be regarded as one of the favorites to win the title. She will definitely be favored to win this match and get to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the second time in a row. I'll give Pironkova eight games max.
The Men's quarterfinal predictions will be coming soon.
Cibulkova came back from a terrible first set against Wozniacki today to win in three- 1-6 7-6 (5) 7-5. She hits the ball quite hard. But so does Maria Sharapova who demolished Peng Shuai in straight sets 6-4 6-2 to advance to her first Wimbledon quarterfinal in five years. Although Cibulkova has gotten the better in their two most recent matches, the two have never played on grass where Sharapova is the superior player. Sharapova will advance in three well contested sets.
Sabine Lisicki vs [9] Marion Bartoli
This match is a tossup. I don't know who will win. Both hit the ball hard and have effective serves. I'll give it to Lisicki in three on the grounds that she can serve her way out of trouble more effectively than Bartoli can. However, if Pierce Brosnan shows up, Lisicki will lose in two sets.
Tamira Paszek vs [4] Victoria Azarenka
I should be honest. Until she defeated Francesca Schiavone in the third round, I had forgotten who Tamira Paszek was. I still haven't seen her play very much. But from what I have seen, I've noticed that she has improved her fitness and has solid strokes. Victoria Azarenka has blossomed this year winning two titles and rising to a career high rank of four. Known for her shrieking and her tendency to retire during matches, Azarenka will want to continue her success in 2011 by reaching her first major semifinal. She knows that this is as good an opportunity as any seeing as she faces an unseeded player who had never reached a quarterfinal of a major before.
[8] Petra Kvitova vs [32] Tsvetana Pironkova
Today, Tsvetana Pironkova proved two things to the world. She can play on grass, and she can beat Venus Williams. Her forehand has improved from last year, and her slice forehand stayed low and drew errors from Venus. Her backhand is quite solid, and her first serve was fast and well placed.
However, Kvitova played an amazing match as well demolishing the 19th seed Yanina Wickmayer 6-0 6-2. One stat about this match that really stood out was the percent of points that Kvitova won on her first serve- 94%. It's no wonder she didn't face a single break point during the match.
Kvitova can definitely overpower Pironkova. Kvitova serves better and hits harder off both wings. She is also no slouch at net. Because of her hard groundstrokes, she can often come into net to finish off points. However, if Pironkova can take Kvitova out of her groove by mixing things up with slices and moonballs, she might be able to pull off the upset. However the match lies on Kvitova's racket.
Now that Serena and Venus are out, Petra Kvitova must be regarded as one of the favorites to win the title. She will definitely be favored to win this match and get to the semifinals of Wimbledon for the second time in a row. I'll give Pironkova eight games max.
The Men's quarterfinal predictions will be coming soon.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Wimbledon Day 7 Previews Part II- WTA
Shuai Peng [20] vs Maria Sharapova [5]
Maria Sharapova is the odds makers' favorite to win Wimbledon. She won her first title here in 2004. She leads Peng in their head to head 2:1. They have never played on grass.
Sharapova's tactics almost always involve two things. Creaming the ball and walloping the ball. She hits the ball as hard as she can on almost every shot. She has been serving relatively well so far with her first serve percentage hovering in the 60's. She has served a total of fourteen double faults so far which averages slightly more than four double faults every match. However, she still hasn't lost a set, so it doesn't seem like those double faults are hurting her much.
Peng has seen a significant increase in her rank from last year. She's reached her third fourth round in the past four grand slams (She was forced to retire against Francesca Schiavone in the third round of Roland Garros because she had the flu) and has reached a career high rank of 20. She hits flat off both sides and uses two hands on both wings. However, when she is stretched, she can hit a one-handed forehand. She isn't very good at net.
Although the last match they played was close, (2011 Indian Wells, 6-2 5-7 6-3) I can't see Peng beating Sharapova on grass. Sharapova has too many weapons and can move Peng around. Peng's effectiveness is reduced significantly when she is forced to use her one-handed forehand. The fast and low bouncing grass courts will hamper Peng's game, and Sharapova will advance to her first Wimbledon Quarterfinal since 2006.
Maria Sharapova is the odds makers' favorite to win Wimbledon. She won her first title here in 2004. She leads Peng in their head to head 2:1. They have never played on grass.
Sharapova's tactics almost always involve two things. Creaming the ball and walloping the ball. She hits the ball as hard as she can on almost every shot. She has been serving relatively well so far with her first serve percentage hovering in the 60's. She has served a total of fourteen double faults so far which averages slightly more than four double faults every match. However, she still hasn't lost a set, so it doesn't seem like those double faults are hurting her much.
Peng has seen a significant increase in her rank from last year. She's reached her third fourth round in the past four grand slams (She was forced to retire against Francesca Schiavone in the third round of Roland Garros because she had the flu) and has reached a career high rank of 20. She hits flat off both sides and uses two hands on both wings. However, when she is stretched, she can hit a one-handed forehand. She isn't very good at net.
Although the last match they played was close, (2011 Indian Wells, 6-2 5-7 6-3) I can't see Peng beating Sharapova on grass. Sharapova has too many weapons and can move Peng around. Peng's effectiveness is reduced significantly when she is forced to use her one-handed forehand. The fast and low bouncing grass courts will hamper Peng's game, and Sharapova will advance to her first Wimbledon Quarterfinal since 2006.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wimbledon Womens Predictions for the tournament
Although Wimbledon is already well underway, I'm going to post my predictions for the WTA.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
Quarterfinalists:
Wozniacki-Although she isn't the greatest player on grass (or at all, but that's for another post all together) she has a good draw with her two biggest threats coming in the fourth round with Cibulkova and Goerges, two women who hit the ball quite hard and have both beaten her this year.
Sharapova-Since the only threat that she has in her draw is Peng, she should get to the quarterfinals with ease.
Li-Although she has a tough second round match with Lisicki, she is still an amazing ball striker. However, Roland Garros champions tend not to fare well at Wimbledon a few weeks later.
Serena-Even though she's been out for eleven months, she is still Serena. She has a tough customer in Bartoli in the fourth round, but if she can shake the rust in her game, she should be fine.
Petkovic-I gotta be honest. I had Makarova getting to the quarters in this relatively weak eighth of the draw on the grounds that she won Eastbourne in 2010 and has a good game for grass. But she lost to McHale in the first round, so I'm going with Andrea Petkovic who has been in the quarterfinals of both majors this year.
Azarenka-Azarenka has a good shot at reaching the quarterfinals in a major if she can stay healthy. The one person who can stop her is Daniella Hantuchova, otherwise known as Danielle Anotoxfa. She got to the finals of Birmingham defeating Ana Ivanovic and Venus Williams before losing to Sabine Lisicki. If she doesn't choke, she can definitely beat Azarenka in the third round.
Kvitova-Kvitova is a great player who hits the ball very hard and very deep. She got to the semifinals of Wimbledon last year before falling to Serena. There isn't really anyone who can beat her in this eighth than herself.
Zvonareva-This final eighth of the draw is probably one of the strongest with Venus Williams, Vera Zvonareva and Tsvetana Pironkova. Interesting matches will be a rematch of last year's Wimbledon semifinal coming in the third round and a match between the winner of that one and Venus Williams. I'd say that Zvonareva has the edge to get to the quarters on the grounds of Venus's lack of match play.
Semifinalists:
Sharapova-If she can minimize her double faults and her unforced errors, she'll be a force to be reckoned with. She has defeated Wozniacki in the past, and on grass, she'll have an even bigger advantage.
Serena-This was a really tough one to predict, but I think that Serena will have shaken off her rust by the quarterfinals and will prove to be too tough a challenge for Li. However, I think that the winner of this match has a great shot at winning the whole thing.
Azarenka-If she can get past her third round match against Hantuchova, she has a great shot at reaching her maiden semifinal.
Kvitova-She is such a great ballstriker that whoever she faces will have quite a lot of trouble dealing with her.
Finalists:
Serena-It's Serena... on grass... She has such mental toughness and can even overpower Sharapova. She beat her last year at Wimbledon as well.
Kvitova-She can beat anyone in the third quarter of the draw with ease.
Winner:
Serena-Although Kvitova can definitely challenge Serena in almost every aspect of her game, Serena is a 13 time grand slam champion and knows how deal with that pressure. However, as seen in last year's semifinal, Kvitova can put pressure on Serena, and if she can deal with the pressure, she might be the next winner of the Venus Rosewater Dish.
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