Although the majority of the tennis world is focusing on men's tennis, prognosticating what could happen in the women's draws is quite a task, considering that the number 1 ranked player hasn't won a Grand Slam in almost 2 years. I'm also hesitant to predict Wimbledon on the men's side, because, as a loyal Federer fan, I'm afraid I'll jinx his pursuit of 15 Grand Slam titles. Oddly enough, when I do try to map out what will happen on the men's side, Federer comes up short. So, because I tried to anticipate the Australian Open the last 2 years, the French Open from 2006-2008 and Wimbledon last year (we all know how those turned out), I figured it would help the Swiss out if I stick with the ladies. Okay, back to the point. Wimbledon is the only women's slam when their is a clear cut favorite. That person is Venus Williams, who has won the title at SW19 5 times. on the other side of the women's draw is Venus' kid sister, Serena, who owns 10 Grand Slam titles, 2 of which are at the All England Club. Last year Venus defeated her sister in the finals, but in 2009 Serena has out-performed her older sister by a lot. Other ladies who could challenge the Williams duo for the title are Dinara Safina, who has reached 3 Grand Slam finals, Victoria Azarenka, who has a game fit for grass and a foursome of Russians named Dementieva, Kuznetsova, Zvonareva and Sharapova. And let's not forget a couple serbs, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic.
1st Quarter
Dinara Safina headlines the first 32 in the women's draw as world number 1. Safina is coming off of a heartbreaking loss at the hands of Svetlana Kuznetsova in the Roland Garros final. Interestingly enough, Kuznetsova, who was exhausted in a 1st round loss in a grass court tune up, is on the prowl at the bottom of this quarter, and could very well meet Dinara in the quarters. Other players such as Caroline Wozniacki, Amelie Mauresmo and Flavia Pennetta are not planning on sitting at home watching that matchup take place. Wozniacki is coming off of a confidence building win at the Wimby warmup in Eastbourne is and is at a career high ranking of number 9. Mauresmo won the Wimbledon title in 2006, and has proved herself on the grass. She has not performed well this season besides a triumph at the Paris indoors, and is looking for a career reviving run in London. That run could definitely happen, if the Frenchwomn can battle past possible matchups with Pennetta and Safina. Also look out for Anabel Medina Garrigues, who has a historyof performing well on the lawns.
Quarterfinals: Amelie Mauresmo def. Svetlana Kuznetsova
2nd Quarter
The Queen of Wimbledon, Ms. Venus Williams, is at the top of this section, and Venus, along with her sister, are known for starting Gand Slams very shaky, but improving as the final rounds come closer. The only thing stopping Venus from achieving a 6th title at the lawns is a tough early round matchup, where Venus typically isn't playing her best tennis. One of those difficult early rounders could be against Kaia Kanepi, a hard-hitting Esonian who can smack a winner up the line anywhere and any time. Samantha Stosur, who reached the semifinals at the French Open, is the 18th seed and could face Ana Ivanovic in the 3rd round. Ivanovic has dropped 12 ranking spots in 1 year and is the 13th seed. The Serb is certainly in the worst slump of her life, failing to come even close to defending her Roland Garros title and losing in the 1st round at a Wimbledon warmup event. Don't expect Ana to make any noise here. The other Serb, who hasn't been playing very well as of late either, is in this section as well and her name is Jelena Jankovic, the huge grinned drama queen. That smile can only take you so far though, and Jelena's recent results don't hint at a big run here. On her side though, is the draw. Jankovic's only possible hiccups are Na Li of China and Agnieszka Radwanksa of Poland. JJ will only have to face 1 of those and I'm pretty sure she will sail quite smoothly until she runs into a 6 foot 1, stylish lady named Venus.
Quarterfinals: Venus Williams def. Jelena Jankovic.
3rd Quarter
Every year there seems to be that one part of the women's draw where a player comes out from the dead and plays the best tennis of her life. At RG, it was Samantha Stosur and at the Aussie Open it was Jelena Dokic. This quarter, headined by Russians Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonereva, could just be the birthplace of that Cinderella story. Zvonareva has been injured for a good portion of 2009, but comes into London this year healthy and happy. She doesn't have a very tough draw to the quarters, with 2007 finalist Marion Bartoli, who suffered an injury just 2 days ago in Eastbourne, as an unlikely hiccup. French Open semifinalist Dominika Cibulkova could make some noise, but she could be mentally and physically exhausted from her incredible run in Paris. Alisa Kleybanova has just the right game for grass. She forces the issue with her over-powering groundies and serve and with a weight of atleast 165, could be a very intimidating roadblock to the unexpierenced. Kleybanova could face her fellow Russian, Dementieva, in the 3rd round. Dementieva isn't entering Wimbledon without much confidence but she did reach the semis here last year. Also look out for Alize Cornet and Elena Vesnina.
Quarterfinals: Alisa Kleybanova def. Vera Zvonareva
4th Quarter
This quarter, the 4th and final one, is loaded with heavy hitters. Serena Williams is the number 2 seed, followed by Victoria Azarenka, Nadia Petrova and Maria Sharapova, all major forces with huge shots. Williams is coming straight off of a dissapointing 3 set quarterfinal loss to Kuznetsova at the French. She reached the finals here last year and has won the title twice. Some say Serena's game is even more perfect for grass than her sisters, but the world number 2 hasn't triumphed here in 6 years. Believe it or not, Victoria Azarenka is a popular pick among many to take this title. She was extremely close to beating Safina in the RG quarters and she can blow any player off the court with her raw talent. Azarenka could run into Maria Sharapova (remember her?) in the 4th round. That matchup would be 1 of the most intriguing of the tournament, with Sharapva embarking on a comeback after a 10-month layoff due to injury. It may seem as though Maria is old, but she, although she has been on the tour for several years, is only 22. Sharpova has been playing some great tennis was arguably the last legitimate number 1 when she rolled through the 2008 Australian Open draw, and didn't lose a match that year until April. She might face Nadia Petrova, who is always dangerous, in the 3rd round. Another sleeper is Jie Zheng, who, if you can remeber that far, had an amazing run to the semis here last year. She is the 16th seed and could very well cause some trouble for the top dogs. We all know we will be watching if Serena and Maria meet in the quarters, and even if you hate the shrieking when the two meet, the tennis is undeniably incredible
Quarterfinals: Serena Williams def. Maria Sharapova
Semifinals
Venus Williams def. Amelie Mauresmo
Serena Williams def. Alisa Kleybanova
Finals
For the 2nd consecutive year, the sisters will meet in the finals, but this time, Serena will be looking for some major payback, and she'll get it.
Serena Williams def. Venus Williams
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