French Open Tennis 2015: Schedule and Predictions for Women's Semifinals
After almost two weeks of play at Roland Garros, the women's draw is down to four competitors trying to bring home a French Open title.
While top-seeded Serena Williams remains alive after a number of close calls in the tournament, the rest of the semifinals feature plenty of surprises. Lucie Safarova and Timea Bacsinszky both had to pull off relatively big upsets in Round 4, while Ana Ivanovic's path was cleared a bit when Simona Halep went down in the second round.
No matter the path, though, all four women deserve to be in this spot, and each has a chance to fight for the title.
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| Bob Bryan/Mike Bryan vs. Simone Bolelli/Fabio Fognini | Men's Doubles |
| Ana Ivanovic vs. Lucie Safarova | Women's Singles |
| Serena Williams vs. Timea Bacsinszky | Women's Singles |
No. 7 Ana Ivanovic vs. No. 13 Lucie Safarova
Ivanovic has the experience of winning this event in 2008, although that seems like ages ago when you consider this was the last time she reached a Grand Slam semifinal until this week.
The No. 7 seed has played well to this point at Roland Garros, but inconsistency is still a major issue. She wins a high percentage of her first serves but often struggles when she doesn't get it in play. Even in the straight-sets victory over Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, Ivanovic won just 47 percent of second serves with six double faults.
While she gets to avoid facing a truly elite opponent in the semifinals, the 13th-seeded Safarova will be only the second top-15 player Ivanovic has faced at the French Open.
Meanwhile, Safarova has looked even better than this so far in this event. She is the only remaining player in the draw yet to lose a set while winning at least 70 percent of her first serves in every single match. This consistency has led to some impressive performances, including a win over Maria Sharapova.
ESPN's Chris Fowler and Darren Cahill each had good things to say about the Czech star:
Safarova has simply been controlling her opponents in each match, staying patient but making sure she wins the key points. There is no reason to expect any less in the semifinals.
While she used to be known for her early exits at Grand Slams, Safarova has excelled in big tournaments lately and should be set for her first career finals appearance.
Prediction: Safarova wins 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
No. 1 Serena Williams vs. No. 23 Timea Bacsinszky
This has not been an easy run for Williams by any means. After needing three sets to beat Anna-Lena Friedsam in the second round, the superstar barely survived matchups against Victoria Azarenka and Sloane Stephens.
While each of these competitors are much better than their seeds (or lack thereof) would indicate, there was a bit of concern for Williams considering her usual dominance in the early rounds.
Fortunately, she was able to get back on track for one of her toughest battles, as noted by ESPN Tennis:
"Serena needs just 27 minutes to take the opening set 6-1 over Errani. First time in four matches Serena wins first set. #RG15
— ESPNTennis (@ESPNTennis) June 3, 2015"
After finally getting out to a strong start, Williams cruised to victory over Sara Errani thanks in part to 10 aces to just two double faults in her best all-around serving performance of the tournament.
Despite this strong showing, she is not going to look past her semifinal opponent:
Bacsinszky has been very impressive so far in France with only one dropped set in five matches. That single loss came in the first set against No. 4 Petra Kvitova before winning the next two 6-0, 6-3.
The Swiss player doesn't use a lot of power but can win with her serve either on the first or second attempt. If she can keep her errors down, this could be a close match.
On the other hand, Bacsinszky hasn't faced anyone with the sheer strength of Williams, and it will be difficult to keep returning shots. The No. 1 seed should keep her momentum going from the recent win and turn in one of her better efforts of the week.
Prediction: Williams wins 6-4, 6-2
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