The Daily Backspin, RG 4: No Pigeons, But a Healthy Helping of French Dressing

The highest seed to fall on Day 4 was but a "lowly" #22 (Ai Sugiyama), so the pigeons were apparently busy cooking up an entirely new master plan to seize control of this tournament. Either that, or they just wanted to stay out of the rain.

But while there weren't as many pigeons causing trouble, there sure were a number of Pastries floating around out there... and not just the delightful dessert variety, either.



Those six flags represent the six French women still alive in the singles draw, with half of the 2nd Round still to be completed. Some of the Pastries' names are familiar, such as Nathalie Dechy and Emilie Loit, but some are most definitely not the topics of everyday conversation. If you'd ever heard of Mathilde Johansson a week ago, and aren't French yourself, raise your hand (can't imagine there are too many able to smell their deodorant right now).



How about Aravane Rezai, or Alize Cornet, who's the youngest player in the draw at just 16? Today, Cornet completed her suspended 1st Round match, wiping out Virginia Ruano-Pascual (who, at 32, while no Martina Navratilova, is still twice the kid's age) in a 6-1 3rd set; while Rezai eliminated the aforementioned Sugiyama in their 2nd Round meeting.

Even the men are getting into the act, with the likes of Gael Monfils, Paul-Henri Mathieu, Florent Serra, Mathieu Montcourt, Julien Benneteau, and youngster Jeremy Chardy still kicking around, and vet Sebastien Grosjean possibly ready to assume his usual snake-lurking-in-the-grass role that's managed to get him into the semis of three of the four slams during his underrated career.

Of course, the one Pastry that I didn't mention might be the one we'll be talking about the longest in this tournament.



Amelie Mauresmo is rested, primed, and feeling no pressure. Yet, at least... though Melbourne officially took away a great deal of the crippling weight of unfulfilled Parisian expectation, the same weight on her shoulders that has annually prevented Mauresmo from reaching her potential in her home nation's event. With that Oz title in her trophy case (hmmm, does a "tarnished" slam trophy take up as much space as an "untarnished" one... like, say, the one Steffi Graf won in Paris in '88 when she double-bageled an overwhelmed-by-the-moment Natasha Zvereva in the final? Just wondering.), might this be the world #1's Roland Garros to win?

Oddly enough, not as much discussion was going on about Mauresmo the Potential Champion before play begin, at least in comparision to pre-Melbourne '06 slams. At least it didn't seem that way. Henin-Hardenne, Hingis, Kuznetsova, Petrova (now who would pick HER?) and even Venus were debated, but Mauresmo was simply the first French #1 seed.

Then everyone started to play, and now the prospects of an "Amelie" sequel are looking quite possible, even while Audrey Tautou is out running around with Tom Hanks.



Come Wimbledon, could we be whispering "Grand Slam," but NOT talking about Monsieur Federer?

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==LAST HOME SLAM WINNERS==
Australian Open
Chris O'Neil (1978) & Mark Edmondson (1976)
---------------------------
Roland Garros
Mary Pierce (2000) & Yannick Noah (1983)
---------------------------
Wimbledon
Virginia Wade (1977) & Fred Perry (1936)
---------------------------
U.S. Open
Serena Williams (2002) & Andy Roddick (2003)
---------------------------

Of course, don't expect similar ruminations about British tennis during an SW19 Daily Backspin, no matter who the big hill is named for during each round of action.

(There, now I've properly jinxed Mauresmo at Roland Garros, and Andy Murray will meet Tim Henman in the final to determine this year's Wimbledon champion. My work is done here.)

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Washington, D.C.'s two newspapers, The Washington Post and The Washington Times, didn't even offer an outright mention of Petrova's loss yesterday, as Andy Roddick's exit took all the headlines. The one line that printed the result didn't even list her as the #3 seed.

So, apparently, if a Russian loses on the terre battue and nobody is around to hear about it, maybe she DOESN'T make a sound, after all.

(Oh, but the Washington Redskins did sign Dennard Wilson and Daniel Martz as training camp fodder... er, I mean free agents.)

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Maria Sharapova had a fairly easy time with Iveta Benesova in their 2nd Round match, so I guess the Czech didn't follow the birdseed advice. (Hmmm, Sharapova's overcome match points in this tournament... just like Anastasia Myskina and Justine Henin-Hardenne the past two years.)

Next up is Alicia Molik.

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THE MIND OF MYSKINA: speaking of the Czarina, this is what she said after her win over Sania Mirza.

"I give one more chance to myself this year to do well, and I do have a goal. I know it's a really tough one, but it's to be in Madrid (at the YEC) by the end of the year. So if I can reach that one, that's going to be perfect. There's so many things you can do besides the tennis. I don't want to be in the middle (of the pack) of something. I want to be either the top player or just (do) something else good."

Myskina's thinking about the dreaded "r" word? Hopefully, it's just one of those Myskina moments that make her post-match comments some of the more "interesting" on tour.

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We just about had an episode of "ATP Smackdown!!" today after the Ancic/Capdeville match, as the two got into a shoving match after Ancic put away match point. Capdeville questioned whether he'd hit the ball twice on a volley, and neither Ancic nor the umpire would pay his argument much mind. If the umpire hadn't stepped between them like he did, Albert Montanes might just have gotten a walkover in the 3rd Round match that Ancic will now be able to play against him.

The rain and Marc Gicquel, another French player, prevented the all-Navratilova match (well, 50%) from being played today, as the 29-year old pushed all the "to follow" matches back several hours by overcoming having lost the first two sets in under an hour to wage a nearly five-hour five-set battle with Nicolas Kiefer that ended with the dirtied and bruised (literally) German winning 11-9.

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Jockey Edgar Prado visited Barbaro yesterday. He asked the horse when he was going to be getting back up on his feet again.

Barbaro said, "Hey, get off my back!"

(ba-dum-dum)

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DAY 5: Thursday, June 1


MATCH OF THE DAY

...well, there's still this leftover from Day 4:


HUBER/M.NAVRATILOVA vs. G.NAVRATILOVA/PASTIKOVA

But for some new ideas, there's always...

1) Nadal/Kim. Just kidding.
-----------------------------
2) Dementieva/Kutuzova. The next endangered Russian?
-----------------------------
3) Blake/Almagro. Blake could be the last American man standing, if he wins this tough one.
-----------------------------
4) Morigami/Perry. Nadia's stepchildren.
-----------------------------
5) Peer/Pironkova. Melbourne's surprise is still around to stir up some more trouble in the same place Sesil caused so much a year ago.
-----------------------------
6) Groenefeld/Jackson. Is some delicious Girl Friday revenge on the menu?
-----------------------------
7) Mauresmo/Santoro vs. Likhovtseva/Nestor. Shouldn't this all-French Impressionist duo be playing in the Louvre?
-----------------------------

Ah, here we go...


DULKO/KIRILENKO vs. HARKLEROAD/MATTEK

..call it the "Weapons of Mass Distraction" match.

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The ITF sent condolences to the Iraqi Tennis Federation after the deaths of a coach and two players in Baghdad. They were shot and killed by gunmen, apparently because they were wearing shorts.

Some stories need no additional comment, really.

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All for Day 4.

Read more...

The Daily Backspin, RG 3: If a Russian Loses on the Terre Battue and There is Nobody Around To Hear Her Fall, Does She Still Make a Sound?

Hey, did ya hear about Andy Roddick losing? He did, you know. On Suzanne Lenglen, the former U.S. Open champion couldn't even finish his 1st Round match against Albert Martin.

(silence)

Oh, and Berlin champion Nadia Petrova lost on Court 2, too.

Now, onto bigger things.

(What, I can't get that past you?)

Allllll riiiiight... Petrova fell flat on her face during her first appearance in the tournament that was supposed to be her big-time coming out party. The only thing missing was a doom-laden visit from those damn pigeons. Yeah, she played with a leg injury (painful enough to forego sitting down during some changeovers... but if it was impossible for Scarlett to play a full match with it then she should have pulled her name out of the draw), and against an opponent in Japan's Akiko Morigami who was not to be overlooked despite her mediocre ranking, but a clunker is a clunker. And this was most definitely one for Petrova, who saw her fifteen-match WTA clay winning streak come to an unceremonious halt with a 6-2/6-2 defeat.

At least Akiko was happy after the match.



So, after dominating the clay circuit for the past two months, Petrova's worst Roland Garros result since her main draw debut in 2000 will likely be the prevailing memory of the period. Sort of the equivalent to a great, extended grass court exhibition put on by Jana Novotna going down in flames with a few glaringly sprayed shots on Centre Court (how fitting, considering previous discussions here at Backspin about the Novotna-esque quality of Petrova's slowly-building career... and here's to hoping a future "ultimate" victory will make character-building days like this one somewhat worthwhile in the end for Scarlett, too).

But, this time around, Nadia's gone. Yet Barbaro still lives. Is there no justice?



He still has three good legs, though. Petrova has only one.




So, Emily Westacott is safe... or at least the place next to her at history's dinner table will have to be set up with a different name card. "N.Petrova" won't be attending the party.

She has miles and miles to go before she sleeps... 'cus, alas, that Roland Garros title ain't comin' in 2006.

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Well, while there may be no j-u-s-t-i-c-e, there is still J-u-s-t-i-n-e.

JHH returned to the site of her '05 slam title and made quick work of Maret Ani, taking the first step toward removing all that nasty "tarnish" she put on Amelie Mauresmo's championship in Melbourne (seriously, isn't it well past the time that a stake was put through the heart of that non-story? Apparently not, if you're ESPN... which only remembers any tennis moment if it can be shown in full in the ten seconds that can be spared for the sport in a normal edition of "SportsCenter"). With no inherent conflict of interest involved in that never-will-be JHH/Petrova quarterfinal matchup, Backspin is now free to get behind an old favorite without the slightest hint of guilt.

Of course, don't expect any loud shouts from here about it. I wouldn't want to draw any pigeons Le Petit Taureau's way.

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Well, Slingin' Sammy Stosur had her singles ass handed to her on a plate by Ana Ivanovic today, 6-0/6-3. Thankfully for her, her doubles rump is still safely intact.

Some extended 3rd set action today, as Gisela Dulko (one of the more disappointing players on tour this year) finally had something go her way in an 11-9 decider win over qualifer Yulia Beygelzimer, and Anabel Medina-Garrigues outlasted 16-year Victoria Azarenka 9-7.

In the projected "Match of the Day," Jie Zheng continued the Chinese clay court ascension in Paris, taking out Tatiana Golovin 6-3/7-6 in the Frussian Pastry's return to action from that ankle injury in Miami. As of now, the Cookies might be the Roland Garros "Revelation Ladies" of the early rounds, going 4-2 with Zheng advancing along with Na Li, Shuai Peng and Tiantian Sun.

The other contenders for that title might just be the "forgotten" Americans, with Jamea Jackson (who now faces Anna-Lena Groenefeld in a rematch of that big Fed Cup upset), Shenay Perry and Ashley Harkleroad still breathing Parisian air, and Mashona Washington nearly taking out Maria Sharapova on Sunday. If the Chinese win the "Revelation Ladies" award, the Americans will likely be the "Upset Queens" even without the pigeons working their magic on Washington. Plus, Venus Williams is still lurking down the line in Mauresmo's path.

LAST QUALIFIERS STANDING: Julia Vakulenko, Aravane Rezai and Anda Perianu, with "lucky loser" Kirsten Flipkens holding on, as well.

JHH is the last of 2005's semifinalists left, with Petrova and Elena Likhovtseva losing, and Mary Pierce out injured.

All the women's 1st Round matches are now complete, save the Virginia Ruano-Pascual, 32, vs. Alize Cornet, 16, match that will be completed tomorrow.

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Goodbye, Andys. Both of you.

While Mr. Roddick's exit is no surprise, there was at least some thought that Andy Murray (a winner over Gael Monfils a few weeks ago) might survive his second match this month with the French teenager. It didn't happen, though. In the end, their five-set 6-4/6-7/1-6/6-2/6-1 match was fit for a porno fan... not of great quality, but at least it was long.

UNSURPRISING MATCH RESULT OF THE DAY: Ivo Karlovic def. Olivier Patience 7-6(6)/7-6(1)/7-6(10). Does Ivo ever do it any other way? He had 24 aces to 0 double faults today, while winning just 24% of the points while receiving serve. But that was a good stat in comparison to Patience, who won just 22% on Ivo's serve.

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DAY 4: Wednesday, May 31


**MATCH OF THE DAY**

...let's see.

There's Sharapova/Benesova, where the Czech Maiden had better remember that birdseed. Mauresmo/Dushevina, which probably won't be as good a matchup as one might hope. And Schnyder/Gajdosova, where Sneaky will try to avoid pulling a Petrova. If not, I advise Jarmila to duck if she sees a ball flying toward her head.

But for novelty's sake, I'll go with:


HUBER/M.NAVRATILOVA vs. G.NAVRATILOVA/PASTIKOVA

...I think I'll take the Navratilova team to win. Hmmm, is it just me, or does Gabriela Navratilova's photo almost look like it could be a mugshot of Martina?

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Hmmm, I see on the RG website that Petrova's leg injury occurred during practice. So, of course, it has to be asked. Were there any pigeons in the vicinity? Seriously, if anyone saw a winged creature resembling the one in the photo below hovering around the outskirts of Nadia's practice court, please report it to the Roland Garros authorities.



Hey, what else do I have to focus on when my Roland Garros pick goes out in the 1st Round?

(go justine.)

All for Day 3.

Read more...

The Daily Backspin, RG 2: The Pusillanimous Pigeons of Peril

Ah, now I know what I missed by not being able to see Sunday's Maria Sharapova/Mashona Washington match live:



No, not actress/composer/wife of David Mamet, Rebecca Pidgeon... I'm talking about the pusillanimous pigeons of peril (or, if you prefer, the dastardly avian deliverers of doom) that landed inside the service box on Sharapova's side of the net just as Washington was about to serve while leading 5-3 in the final set.



Washington lost the point, the second of her three match points, and, ultimately, the match. Did the pigeons' arrival portend the American's doom, flying off with her chances as the ball kids chased them away? Would things have gone in Mashona's favor had the winged creatures landed on HER side of the court rather than Maria's?

Just the questions that pop into your head on an otherwise fairly uneventul Day 2 on the women's side of the draw at Roland Garros, where the best viewing was the (better late than never) ESPN replay of the last set-plus of the match that should have been aired on Sunday.

Maybe Sharapova's Round 2 opponent, Iveta Benesova, should walk on court with a pocket full of birdseed, eh?

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"Match of the Day" UPDATE: the intriguing Pichet vs. Flipkens rematch didn't quite have the punch of the qualifying match-up that ended with an 8-6 3rd set win by the 23-year old Frenchwoman. This time, the "lucky loser" Waffle had it over the Pastry, by an easy 6-2/6-3 score. Does this make Pichet an "unlucky winner?"

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The first slam category winner was crowned in disappointing fashion on Day 2, as #18-seed Elena Likhovtseva (a surprise semifinalist a year ago) fell in her opening match to Karolina Sprem, thereby gaining the dubious distinction of being the first seed to be dumped out of the tournament, even beating men's top-guy-out, #16 Jarkko Nieminen.

#28 Lucie Safarova soon followed Likhovtseva's lead, wrapping up her downbeat clay court season with a straight sets loss to Romanian qualifier/one time Oklahoma University star, Anda Perianu, sending up a warning flare for the forthcoming Romanian contingent (which includes Raluca Olaru and Monica Niculescu) on the cusp of making some noise on the big tour.



Elsewhere, Alicia Molik got the first win of her comeback from that inner ear condition, a 7-5/7-6 victory over Antonella Serra-Zanetti; and qualifier Julia Vakulenko, Backspin's hopeful pick for "Last Qualifier Standing," defeated Meng Yuan.

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As expected, a win over Robin Soderling allowed Rafael Nadal to break a tie with the 1977 record of 53 consecutive clay wins held by Guillermo Vilas (pictured above, today with Nadal).... Evgeny Korolev, cousin of Anna Kournikova, advanced to 2nd Round with a win over Andreas Seppi... and in the longest-yet final set of the draw, Nicolas Massu took out "Rubberband Emotions Man" Xavier Malisse 11-9 in the 5th.

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DAY 3: Tuesday, May 30


"MATCH OF THE DAY" WATCH:

Petrova/Morigami, maybe? But I'm afraid that might jinx Scarlett against a potentially tricky opponent

Hmmm, there are a few others to choose from, though:

1) Monfils/Murray...an exciting prospect on the men's side, but it might be a better match on hardcourts or grass.
----------------------------
2) Gonzalez/Safin...you never know what will happen with Dinara's brother.
----------------------------
3) Myskina/Mirza...both have seen better days, though.
----------------------------
4) Medina-Garrigues/Azarenka...the winner might eventually play Clijsters. AMG is more accomplished, but 16-year old Azarenka (the second-youngest in the women's draw, after France's Alize Cornet) is very intriguing.
----------------------------
5) Hantuchova/Dominguez-Lino...Wonder Girl could take another step back here.
----------------------------

But I'll go with:

TATIANA GOLOVIN vs. JIE ZHENG

...like Sharapova, Golovin hasn't played since Miami. Golovin's ankle injury there, though, was quite a bit more substantial than the one Sharapova was nursing coming into Paris. The Supernova barely survived the 1st Round, and the Cookies have already put three (Na Li, Shuai Peng and Tiantian Sun) of four main draw players (Meng Yuan lost) into the 2nd Round, with two more (Zheng & Yan) yet to play. The crowd was with The Frussian Pastry in Miami, and she might need the support just as much tomorrow in Paris.


All for Day 2.

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The Daily Backspin, RG 1: Serving Up Empty Calories

This is where I was during much of the historic early third Sunday of play at Roland Garros:



It's not Chatrier or Lenglen, but it'll do. (Full disclosure: these are the tennis courts of local Martinsburg High School, alma mater of Kevin Pittsnogle for any NCAA basketball fans out there.) It at least allowed me to work on my "lethal" serve:



All in all, the early start is a good idea, and one that'll probably eventually be picked up on by the folks in Melbourne and New York (but not SW19, especially since the news of this "groundbreaking" idea will surely arrive late at the All England Club, what with the carrier pigeon mode of communication that's perfectly in tune with some of the "archaic" thoughts still bouncing around the greatest of the slam events... tis a pity.). Of course, it would have been nice to be able to ENJOY the extra day of "coverage." But in ESPN land that was an impossibility.

Now, don't get me wrong, the constant harping about bad television coverage for tennis can fray anyone's nerves, but hear me out for a moment. Wouldn't you think that on the Sunday morning of a HOLIDAY WEEKEND the "worldwide leader in sports" might have seen fit to show at least a few seconds of live coverage in a five-hour time window? Consider this strike two for ESPN's '06 Roland Garros coverage, with the first coming after national print ads for the tournament promoted four players: Roger Federer, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams and James Blake. Total RG titles amongst them? Zippo. No mention of world #1 and Oz champ Amelie Mauresmo, or '05 titlist Justine Henin-Hardenne? Not even Rafael Nadal, blossoming into Federer's one true rival and a clay court master on a 53-match winning streak on the stuff? Come now. (James Blake, on clay?) On the bright side, Andy Roddick's face was nowhere to be seen.

Anyway, the five hours of "soul-less" coverage consisted of full, taped (though "live on tape," whatever that means) straight-sets wins by Federer and Mauresmo. That's all, even though major doings were going on as the audience was treated to the rough-and-tumble games of Diego Hartfield and Meghann Shaughnessy. Worse yet, as ESPN signed off, it was announced that the length of the two matches (again, they were finished in STRAIGHT sets, so there were no marathons in evidence) precluded showing any action from the Maria Sharapova-Mashona Washington match. But, as the announcers said at the time of the taping, Sharapova was up a set and was sure to "breeze through" to the next round. The credits ran without a single mention of what REALLY happened.



Apparently, if you look up "breeze" in the tennis dictionary it includes an ankle injury that hampered the Supernova in her first action in nearly two months, a 5-2 3rd set deficit, three saved match points and an ultimate 7-5 final set win. Yeah, a "breeze." Not for Sharapova and, in the end, not for Washington, either, with the 6-2/5-7/7-5 final scoreline.



With Iveta Benesova up in Round 2, Sharapova might have a lot of extra time to go shopping in Paris.

Supposedly, ESPN's coverage will be live the rest of the way, starting at 5am Monday morning. But that's no excuse for today. I just wish the network would kiss its viewers because, you know, some people like to be kissed when they're being (expletive deleted).

All this, and Barbaro still lives, too. Go figure. Oh, well, at least I got some extra work on my forehand:



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So, is it time to set up a steel cage match between Federer and Nadal (with uncle Toni giving pointers from the corner -- "Poke him in the eye, Rafa!!")? I guess a meeting in the final will do, though... Speaking of Federer, should we read anything into his tighter-than-expected 7-5/7-5/6-2 win over Diego Hartfield?

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Some Backspin housecleaning, as the May awards will be somewhat pointless once the Clay Court Awards arrive after Roland Garros:

==MAY (Week 18-21)==

=TOP PLAYERS=
1.Nadia Petrova
2.Shahar Peer
3.Martina Hingis
4.Jie Zheng
5.Kim Clijsters

RISER: Dinara Safina
SURPRISE: Jelena Jankovic
VETERAN: Martina Hingis
FRESH FACE: Romina Oprandi
DOWN: Justine Henin-Hardenne

=TOP PERFORMANCE=
Petrova wins Berlin

=TOP PERFORMANCE (in a loss)=
Safina defeats three Top 10 players, finishes RU in Rome

=TOP MATCH=
Berin F - Petrova d. JHH
...4-6/6-4/7-5. Coming of age for Scarlett? We'll know in two weeks.

=COMEBACKS=
...Molik returns to WTA tour...Martina Navratilova returns to the Czech Republic

=UPSETS=
Rome 3rd - Safina d. Clijsters
Warsaw 1st - A.Radwanska d. Myskina

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DAY 2: Monday, May 29


...hmmm, Match of the Day? Well, Alicia Molik returns to slam action against Antonella Serra-Zanetti. Nadal goes for 54 straight on clay against Robin Soderling. But I'll go with:


VIRGINIE PICHET vs. KIRSTEN FLIPKENS

...a rematch of their third round of qualifying tilt that saw French Pastry Pichet win 8-6 in the 3rd set. Have fun, girls.


All for Day 1.

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Roland Garros Preview: History 101, circa 1939

Move over, Ms. Westacott, you may soon have some unexpected company.



In 1939, Westacott won the Australian Open singles title, and became the last in a line of nine different women's champions over a span of nine grand slam tournaments. In two weeks, another woman could very well join her in the history books.

**1937-39**
'37 Australian: Nancye Wynne
'37 Roland Garros: Hilde Sperling
'37 Wimbledon: Dorothy Round
'37 U.S.: Anita Lizane
'38 Australian: Dorothy Bundy
'38 Roland Garros: Simone Mathieu
'38 Wimbledon: Helen Wills-Moody
'38 U.S. Alice Marble
'39 Australian: Emily Westacott

**2004-06**
'04 Roland Garros: Anastasia Myskina
'04 Wimbledon: Maria Sharapova
'04 U.S.: Svetlana Kuznetsova
'05 Australian: Serena Williams
'05 Roland Garros: Justine Henin-Hardenne
'05 Wimbledon: Venus Williams
'05 U.S.: Kim Clijsters
'06 Australian: Amelie Mauresmo
'06 Roland Garros: ??

It could be that the second ninth champion will be "Scarlett" herself, the player who lists "Gone With the Wind," the tale of the fictional Southerm American heroine, as her favorite novel (hence, the Backspin nickname). In a recent interview, the erstwhile star of this year's Paris production described the novel as "a great history of a woman and what she went through and how hard she fought."

In 2006, Nadia Petrova has shown that she knows all about fighting hard to get what is her's. Tara doesn't border Amelia Island, Charleston or Berlin, but maybe Nadia simply senses that she and Miss O'Hara have something in common... and it could lead her to feel a delightful shiver down her spine two weeks from now, one that signals that she shares something with Ms. Westacott, as well.

You know, the movie version of "Gone With the Wind" was released in 1939...



...the same year that Westacott completed the nine-in-nine run. Coincidence? Maybe not. Destiny COULD be at work here, though, right?

Who knows if Petrova is truly destiny's darling. But, when in doubt, go with history, I always say. And as God is her witness, Nadia will never go hungry again.


=============================

==ROLAND GARROS LISTS==

**YOUNGEST RG 2006 QUALIFIERS**
16...Victoria Azarenka, Belarus
19...Aravane Rezai, France

**OLDEST RG 2006 QUALIFIERS**
26...Alberta Brianti, Italy
26...Sandra Kloesel, Germany

**2005 FINAL FOUR**
#10 Justine Henin-Hardenne (W)
#21 Mary Pierce (RU)
#7 Nadia Petrova (SF)
#16 Elena Likhovtseva (SF)

**POTENTIAL FIRST SEEDS OUT in 1st Rd.**
[Section 1]
#7 Schnyder vs. Krajicek
#16 Vaidisova vs. Domachowska
#18 Likhovtseva vs. Sprem
#22 Sugiyama vs. Daniilidou
#29 Arvidsson vs. Vento-Kabchi
[Section 2]
#9 Schiavone vs. A.Bondarenko
#14 Safina vs. Zvonareva
[Section 3]
#30 Koukalova vs. Garbin
#32 Dulko vs. Beygelzimer
[Section 4]
#21 Dechy vs. Foretz
#23 Golovin vs. Zheng

=============================

BACKSPIN PREDICTIONS:

**4th Round**


#1 Mauresmo d. #16 Vaidisova
#11 V.Williams d. Vakulenko
#14 Safina d. #4 Sharapova
#8 Kuznetsova d. #17 Pennetta
#5 Henin-Hardenne d. #19 Ivanovic
#3 Petrova d. #13 Groenefeld
#12 Hingis d. #6 Dementieva
#2 Clijsters d. Castano

...Vaidisova gets a second chance in a 2006 slam 4th Round against Mauresmo. The result won't likely be much different from Melbourne, but what an introduction to the big time an upset would be here... Vakulenko? Yes, I'm going with the qualifier (she did take out Romina Oprandi, who nearly upset Kuznetsova in Rome, in the Q's) over Patty Schnyder in this spot. Sneaky has just been too much of a disappointment on the clay in '06, and her best RG result is only a QF all the way back in '98. Dicey pick, still (and I'm not even mentioning Venus, who lost to Karatantcheva in the 3rd Round here a year ago)... Sharapova hasn't played since April 1, and is hoping she won't be the fool against Safina... Kuznetsova has held match points in the 4th Round against the last two (Myskina & JHH) eventual RG champions. Pennetta won't likely make in three... Petrova vs. Groenefeld again? Sorry, Anna-Lena ('03 RG Jr. champ, by the way), Backspin has bigger fish to fry here. I'm just holding my breath that Petrova doesn't get caught by Akiko Morigami in the 1st Round while looking ahead as a favorite. Morigami nearly upset Clijsters on clay in Rome... meanwhile, Hingis motors along.

**QUARTERFINALS**


#1 Mauresmo d. #11 V.Williams
#8 Kuznetsova d. #14 Safina
#3 Petrova d. #5 Henin-Hardenne
#12 Hingis d. #2 Clijsters

...I'm sooo tempted to pick Venus here, but try as I might I just can't do it (which, of course, means Williams will probably win)... Petrova vs. JHH would have been my final if the draw has cooperated, but now I have to go against Queen Justine on the clay. Still, JHH hasn't exactly been the clay workhorse coming into Paris that she was a year ago, has she? Petrova has, though... Clijsters seems a bit adrift on the clay. Plus, the last #2-seed to win in Paris was Graf in 1995.

**SEMIFINALS**


#8 Kuznetsova d. #1 Mauresmo
#3 Petrova d. #12 Hingis

...could Kuznetsova's match point string go to three against Mauresmo, who's never made the Roland Garros final? No #1 seed has won in Paris since Graf in 1996... Petrova might be one too many Top 10ers for Hingis to contend with to break The Martina Code.

**FINAL**


#3 Petrova d. #8 Kuznetsova

Scarlett over the Contessova in another all-Russian slam final, but the first since the '04 U.S. Open. I've invested too much time in Petrova the last few months to blink now.

Read Tennisrulz head honcho Pierre Cantin's full Roland Garros preview here. Hint, hint... our picks aren't that different, but he has far more confidence in Schnyder, and far less in Petrova (not so surprising, really).

Hopefully, Scarlett will continue to prove me right about her. So far, 2006 has been quite the validation. Nadia gives a damn, and Ms. Westacott might be about to be linked with her in history forever.

=============================

DAY 1 on the show courts:

Sunday, May 28

**CHATRIER** 11:00 Start

Women's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Vera Zvonareva (RUS) vs. Dinara Safina (RUS)[14]

followed by
Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Roger Federer (SUI)[1] vs. Arnaud Clement (FRA)

Women's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Amelie Mauresmo (FRA)[1] vs. Meghann Shaughnessy (USA)

Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Jose Acasuso (ARG)[26] vs. Fabrice Santoro (FRA)

**LENGLEN** 11:00 Start

Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Tomas Zib (CZE) vs. Tommy Robredo (ESP)[7]

followed by
Women's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Aurelie Vedy (FRA) vs. Marion Bartoli (FRA)[25]

Men's Singles - 1st Rnd.
David Nalbandian (ARG)[3] vs. Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI)

Women's Singles - 1st Rnd.
Maria Sharapova (RUS)[4] vs. Mashona Washington (USA)


All for now. The Daily Backspin begins on Sunday.

=============================

ALSO: Men's RG picks on ATP Backspin.

Read more...