 |
| Venus Williams |
The first round of play at this week's tournament in Charleston wrapped up on Tuesday with Venus Williams, Aleksandra Wozniak and Jamie Hampton among the winners. Venus was paired with the toughest qualifier, Iveta Benesova, but produced a solid display to win 6-4 6-3 and continue her projected assault up the rankings in the hunt for a lucrative place at this years Olympics. She will now play Jelena Jankovic in the second round, which is sure to be the feature match on Wednesday.
Wozniak scored a great win over Christina McHale as she recovered from the loss of the second set to win 7-5 5-7 6-4. I originally predicted McHale to reach the final so I was disappointed to see her lose although I knew this would be a tough match. I think Wozniak can go deep in this week's draw and she will play Barbara Zahlavova Strycova in the next round. Jamie Hampton set up a second round clash with Sam Stosur as she beat Sloane Stephens, 7-6 7-5, recovering from a 5-1 deficit in the second set. There have been so many episodes of choking in the last couple of weeks! There are so many talented players out there, including Sloane, but so many lack the mental toughness, which will act as a key to their progression...
You can view my predictions for Charleston... it has been a disappointing start!
if i remember correctly, in your previous blog, your thought Jankovic would beat V.Williams and meet Stosur, while in your predcition graph, it says just the opposite. Which one is your current thinking?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment... if I remember from my preview for Charleston, I discussed the possibility of Venus meeting Jankovic in the second round but did not actually say who I thought would win!
ReplyDeleteMy thinking is in line with my prediction graph. I believe that Venus will beat Jankovic in 3 sets. Jankovic has a great record over the Williams sisters, but since their last encounters, she has lost a lot of consistency in her strokes, which made her so tough to beat. Venus is also playing very aggressive at the moment so I would expect her to have too much for JJ.
ok, got it. I had that feeling because you mentioned in your blog that the fourth quarter will be "FOURTH QUARTER - Jelena Jankovic (7) v Sam Stosur (2)". So I thought you were saying that JJ will pass Venus and meet Stosur...
ReplyDeleteAhh i see! I put Jankovic v Stosur as it is the projected quarter-final based on seeding. I will try and be clearer next time and mention my predictions ;-)
ReplyDeletewhat do you preview for the match between Bartoli and Hercog?
ReplyDeleteHercog is a talented player on clay and has looked in good form this week. There is definitely potential for an upset here; however i'm not brave enough to bet against Bartoli, who has been a real fighter in 2012 so far... Bartoli in 3 sets.
ReplyDelete