Amelie Mauresmo has always struggled to perform to her full potential here at Roland Garros. The former world number one has found it hard to cope with the weight of expectation at her home Grand Slam. The quarter-finals are as far as she has gone in Paris, on two occasions, and for someone of her rare talent that is poor indeed.
Lucie Safarova has emerged from nowhere this season to establish herself as a top 30 player. A quarter-final at the Australian Open and a run to the final of the Open Gaz de France at Coubertin are just two of the Czech’s eye-catching performances so far this year. While clay is not the 20-year-old’s favourite surface, such is the speed with which she is progressing, she has to be taken very seriously here.
CURRENT FORM
Mauresmo had an operation on her appendix in March, so came to Paris on the back of a shorter than usual clay court season. She only came back to the tour in time for two tournaments prior to Roland Garros, including Strasbourg last week, where she lost in the final. As is often the case when players are returning from injury, she has found it hard to get her consistency back, but that will come with playing matches.
Safarova had a brilliant start to the year, halted somewhat by the onset of the clay court season, her least favourite surface. She has preferred to play only two clay tournaments prior to the French Open, reaching the semi-finals at a relatively low-key event in Estoril. She breezed through the first two rounds here though, and looked bang on form.
STRENGTH
Mauresmo is one of the most gifted players of her generation. Her backhand is a delight to behold, elegant and deadly in equal measure. Her serve sends opponents scurrying, and her netplay is quite simply the best in the world. So what’s missing? The number 5 seed’s forehand is fragile, and tends to desert her at times of stress. Unfortunately for the home favourite, playing in front of her own fans has always seemed to be a source of tension rather than liberation.
Safarova has learnt that being a leftie can really constitute an advantage, particularly when it comes to slicing the ball to a right hander’s backhand. She possesses a powerful, consistent serve, hits ground strokes cleanly, two-handed on her backhand, but ventures rarely to the net.
TACTICS
If Mauresmo plays to her potential, she will win, but we said that about another French number one, Richard Gasquet only the other day. He didn’t, and he lost, undoubtedly succumbing to the pressure as much as his opponent. Overcoming the stress, as usual, will all the greatest challenge for Amelie too. Having said that, Mauresmo lost to Safarova at the Australian Open earlier this year, on neutral ground. She was coming back from injury then too…
Safarova knows she needs to get Amelie on the back foot, and then keep her there. She will need to hold serve, and attack Mauresmo at every opportunity early on. If she can quieten the home support and heighten the tension on court, she has everything to gain.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Safarova shocked Mauresmo at the last sixteen stage of this year’s Australian Open (6-4, 6-3).
That loss forced Mauresmo to relinquish her Australian Open title, so revenge is in the air. Besides, "I don’t like losing to the same player twice," says Amelie.
