Miami 2011 – Women’s Preview - 22 Mar 2011

Miami 2011 – Women’s Preview

Is women’s tennis relevant without the Williams sisters?  What would men’s tennis look like if both Nadal and Federer pulled out of Miami?  Less than two months ago Henin retired, again.  Between the Williams, Henin, and Clijsters reside 31 grand slam titles.  Would all the air go out of a major if Nadal, Djokovic, Federer, and Murray didn’t play?

In Miami only Clijsters of the major (>3) slam titleholders is playing.  She pulled out of a match at Indian Wells less than a week ago while up a set.  If her condition was so serious that she couldn’t go on, how is she ready to play again?  Is she interested enough to try in Miami?

1/8

So apparently Wozniacki (still 20!) has racked up a gazillion premier level tournament wins.  If she could stare down the pressure of winning the “5^th major” last week (aren’t the yearend championships the 5^th major, or maybe it’s Miami…??) will she have the goods to go all the way at a slam?  We won’t find out in Miami, but another strong performance would start to give us the impression, would surely give Caroline the confidence to believe, that she can beat anyone, anywhere.

I’m also excited to see what 5’11 17-year old Ajla Tomljanovic will bring to the table.  Is she a future star or journeyman, er, journeywoman?  She may play Petkovic in the second round.  Petkovic is talented and has been picked my many to win big some day, but she’s starting to look more like a perpetually dangerous floater.

Winner: Wozniacki

2/8

Both Shahar Peer and the other Belgian, Wickmayer, played well last week.  The winner of their potential third rounder stands a good chance of claiming a qf spot, despite the presence of Jankovic.   Jankovic is seeded 6^th and has looked far more reliable than last fall’s incarnation.  Despite the loss to her countrywoman, the spring 2011 model should handle young Jovanovski without too much difficulty.

Winner:  Peer

3/8

Stosur is still seeded #4 but seems to be playing the year like a top 20 player, at best.  Her mid-tournament loss at the AO seems to have stolen her confidence.  Hopefully she will revive, Rafa-like when the clay season starts.  Given her recovering form last week in California, Sharapova is the logical pick for this section, although the double faults and error counts still give cause for concern.  A hot Petrova could certainly make Sharapova look planted, but odds-wise it’s a poor bet.

Winner:  Sharapova

4/8

Kuznetsova had shown signs of life, interest, and talent over the winter, but flat-lined in IW.  Was it a hiccup?  Li, like Andy Murray, has not recovered from her final round loss in Australia.  How long does it take a player to recover mentally, to find the desire and fire again?  Last year she showed up for Wimbledon with a clear mind after a strong run in Australia.  Hopefully she can believe in herself sooner this year.

Winner:  Kuznetsova

5/8

Kirilenko had some excellent results at last year’s slams and that may have been her peak.  She could test ARadwanska in 3R, but with any luck we’ll see some beautiful tennis between Aggie and the soulful Schiavone in round 4.

Winner:  ARadwanska

6/8

Arguably the most talented eighth, 3^rd seeded Zvonareva, hard-hitting Kleybanova, and last week’s star, Bartoli, should provide some savoury morsels for fans.  Will the recovering Safina win another match or maybe even test Zvonareva in the R2?

Winner: Zvonareva

7/8

This is actually a fairly knotty section of the draw, coffering Azarenka, Cibulkova, Pavlyuchenkova, and Kvitova.  All have firepower and a reasonable case could be made for any of these to triumph.  Despite blinking last week, Kvitova has been the most consistent this year.  The ridiculously talented Azarenka has GOT to break through sometime.  Will she be paragon or pariah?  I suspect the public will soon tire and relegate her to Gulbis status.  Watch her prove me wrong.  Please.

Winner:  Kvitova

8/8

Clijsters looks like a shoo-in for the final quarterfinal slot, should she decide to play that long.  The other interesting name in this section belongs to Ivanovic who has appeared on the cusp of getting her groove back for several months now.

Winner: Clijsters

Quarter-finals

1/4

Peer has been impressively solid and reliable the last two years but she’s not exactly the upset queen.

Wozniacki def Peer

2/4

Three years ago picking two Russians to go far was de rigeur, these days I’m nervous about either Sharapova or Kuznetsova (holding 5 slam titles together) making it that far.  Kuznetsova has more raw athleticism and Sharapova more nerve and sheer will power.  Could we slurry them into one?

Sharapova def Kuznetsova

3/4

Despite Vera’s collapse last week and reliability being A-Rad’s middle name,

Zvonareva def ARadwanska

4/4

For IW I predicted Kvitova would beat Clijsters – but neither survived long enough to make it happen.  Kim has got points to defend and will feel that she has to justify her injury default by, paradoxically, playing as though it never happened.

Clijsters def Kvitova

Semis

1/2

Having been spanked the last few times they’ve played, I think Sharapova is psyched out by Wozniacki.

Wozniacki def Sharapova

2/2

Clijsters SHOULD win this match, but Vera is a thorny opponent.  If Clijsters “ain’t feelin it” Vera could concentrate to a win.  Which version of mommy dearest will show up?

Zvonareva def Clijsters

Final

Zvonareva can, just barely, hit Wozniacki off the court.  But it takes SO much effort and Caroline is steadily improving.  Can the emotional Zvonareva channel for that long?

Wozniacki def Zvonareva