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| Jelena Jankovic is playing at the French Open for the fourth time in her career. Beaten in the third round by Amelie Mauresmo last year, such is the progress of the Serbian over the past 12 months, she now figures among the favourites at this year’s Roland Garros. Victorious at Charleston and Rome, she has 22 wins for only 4 losses on clay this year. Those stats alone would suggest the 2007 French Open is a great opportunity for Jankovic to win her first-ever Grand Slam. | | | | Venus fell out of the top 15 for the first time in nine years at the end a 2006 season runied by injury. The former world number one has been battling back this year, perhaps drawing inspiration from her sister’s recent resurrection. Present in Paris for the tenth year in succession, she will need to draw on all that experience if she is to prevail. | |
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| From a season start ranking of 12th, Jankovic has risen inexorably to her current position of 4th in the world. She is currently leading The Race, the ranking based on performances since the start of the season. That says a lot about her recent progress, her all-court ability, and an insatiable appetite for competition. The 22 year-old has played in no less than 16 tournaments since the start of the year, and the French Open is her 5th straight event. The only downside of that impressive workload could be a certain fatigue towards the end of long matches or a long Grand Slam… | | | | After winning in Memphis in her first tournament after five months out, Venus has performed well since, without necessarily getting the rub of the green. She has lost tight matches to subsequent winners in a number of recent tournaments. Always happier on Parisian clay than any other, Venus appreciates the extra bounce here and is more confident when sliding to the ball. A quarter-finalist just last year, she is the outsider all the favourites would have preferred to avoid early on. | |
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| Jankovic hits the ball with frightening speed, particularly on the forehand. Her serve is strong, as is her return, so her netplay is probably the only area she would identify as a potential weakness. Crucially, she is mentally stronger this year, and will no longer be overawed by playing against someone of Venus’ stature. | | | | Venus has always been one of the best servers on the tour. She came perilously close to setting a new mark for the faster-ever serve in her last match, her 206 km delivery just 2km short of Barbara Schultz-McCarthy’s record. Her ground strokes fizz and her net coverage is impressive. | |
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| This big-hitting affair will be won by the player with the best ratio of winners to unforced errors. In short, whoever finds their range first and then most consistently will win it… | | | | Williams’ serve is crucial to the outcome too. If the 27 year-old former finalist manages to pick up easy points on her serve, she will hit her own returns with more confidence, and put pressure on the No.4 seed. | |
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| The pair are locked at two wins apiece. Williams won their first two matches, including one on clay in Rome. The Serbian has won the last two, the latest coming in the semi-finals at (3-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)). | | | | That last encounter was typically close, so Friday’s match of the day in the women’s singles promises to be an exciting, close-run thing. | |
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