French Open 2015: Predictions for Top Singles Stars of Thursday's Draw Schedule
We’re getting very close to the business end of the 2015 French Open and the final four in the women’s draw makes for especially intriguing reading.
Serena Williams, the top seed and world No. 1, was always expected to go this far. But the presence of Timea Bacsinszky—who will play the American superstar in the semi-finals—Ana Ivanovic and Lucie Safarova is not something many in the tennis firmament will have predicted.
So can any of the three underdogs remaining in the tournament spring a shock in the final embers at Roland Garros? Here’s a closer examination of how Williams is faring in pursuit of her 20th Grand Slam title and a look at the competitor most likely to knock that quest off course.
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Ana Ivanovic
Having picked up her only Grand Slam triumph on the Roland Garros clay in 2008, coming back to the French capital will always stir emotions in Ivanovic.
Given the manner in which her game has deteriorated since that victory seven years ago, whenever the Serb has started this tournament in recent years, the winning feeling will have grown increasingly nostalgic. But now she has a brilliant chance to sample glory once again.
As she revealed on Twitter, it’s taken a lot of determination to get back into a Grand Slam semi-final:
Of course, Safarova still stands in the way of Ivanovic if she is to make it to Saturday’s final. The Czech player has already dumped out reigning champion Maria Sharapova and her vicious, left-handed playing style has left many opponents bedevilled on this bespoke surface so far.
But as noted by Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times, Ivanovic has had an edge on her opponents over the past few days and will have the same advantage against Safarova:
After such a sustained spell away from the very summit of the sport, it’s great to see to Ivanovic strutting her stuff in the final knockings of a major tournament again. Expect her to edge past the dangerous Safarova and go within one win of seizing back the title she lifted seven years earlier.
Serena Williams
If Ivanovic does get through, her most likely opponent is Williams. The American has had her struggles in this tournament up to now, being pushed to three sets in the earlier rounds on three occasions against some modest opposition; but she was back with a bang with a comprehensive win over Sara Errani to make it into the final four.
After that 6-1, 6-3 triumph, Williams actually admitted that given the way she has played to this point, she’s surprised to still be in contention for the tournament, per Simon Cambers of the Guardian:
"I need to come out strong again. Most of all, I need to relax. If I win, great. If I lose, I want to be able to do the best that I can do.
I’m not putting too much pressure on myself. I’m surprised I’m still in the tournament, so this is really cool for me.
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Williams also admitted that she’s expecting a tough match against Bacsinszky, who is seeded 23rd at Roland Garros. The Swiss backed up an excellent win over Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova with a routine victory over Alison van Uytvanck in the quarters and the pressure will be off her going into this clash.
However, as we can see here courtesy of the tournament’s official Twitter account, Serena seemed to have her swagger back in her previous match:
As such, it’s going to be very difficult for Bacsinszky to cling onto her coattails. The Swiss has shown her fortitude on myriad occasions in this competition and will make Williams work hard for her points in this contest.
But once the clash settles down into a pattern and Serena begins to reel off her array of thunderous groundstrokes, Bacsinszky will have no answer. Win comfortably here and it’s tough to see either Ivanovic or Safarova halting the top seed, who seems to be approaching the peak of her powers at the perfect time.
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