Ladies' Quarterfinals Preview

The men get the day off on Tuesday, leaving the women to carry the day. Each match features a top four seed, meaning that we could get the top four ranked players in the world in the semifinals, which would be the first time that had happened on the women's side this decade.

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Dinara Safina (RUS) [1] 1 vs Sabine Lisicki (GER) 26
A perplexing battle between an underperformer and an overperformer. It's tough to say who will win, but based on who has been playing closer to their best, it would have to be Lisicki. I think Safina's difficulties on grass will finally catch up with her against the flat hitting, aggressive, courageous German, and she'll be the sole spoiler to the top four party in the semis.
Prediction: Lisicki in three.

2. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [8] 97 vs Serena Williams (USA) [2] 128
This one could be quite the bloody affair. The two met in the fourth round of the Australian Open earlier this year, with Azarenka winning the first set then retiring midway through the second due to vertigo symptoms. It was a mess. Azarenka was a different type of mess in her fourth round win over Petrova yesterday, throwing a general tantrum the entire time yet still managing to power her way into her first Wimbledon quarterfinal. Serena, for her part, has looked great this entire tournament, but she hasn't faced anyone near Azarenka's caliber. This one could go into overtime.
Prediction: Williams in three.

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Venus Williams (USA) [3] 33 vs Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [11] 49
Serena got the opportunity to dismantle Radwanska in last year's Wimbledon quarterfinals, so it's only fair that Venus should get the chance to do so this year. Venus has been hitting the ball very cleanly, and Radwanska has no weapons that Venus won't be able to pound her way through.
Prediction: Williams in two.

2. Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 74 vs Elena Dementieva (RUS) [4] 96
Elena Dementieva's soft draw continues. Two veteran players, neither of whom was talked about much going into this tournament, face off for a spot in the semis, where they will undoubtedly lose meekly to the Serena-Azarenka winner. Dementieva's game is much more stable, and should hold up better to the pressures of the occasion.
Prediction: Dementieva in two.

The Best Day on the Tennis Calendar - Fourth Round Preview

The best ticket available in the world of tennis, the second Monday is one of two days on the tennis calendar where both the Gentlemen's and Ladies' draws converge on the dame day, the other being Super Saturday at the US Open. But while Super Saturday features only three matches and six players, the second Monday of Wimbledon features every Round of 16 match in both the men's and women's draw. Stars normally guaranteed a spot on one of the two main stadiums are relegated to outer courts, giving fans a chance to see big stars with just a grounds pass.

I made it out to Wimbledon on the second Monday last year, and with my grounds pass got to see Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Elena Dementieva, Arnaud Clement, Marin Cilic, Shahar Peer, and Dinara Safina, capping my day off by being one of the five or so on Henman Hill pulling for Richard Gasquet against Andy Murray. Quite the day for £14 (plus £3 or so for strawberries and cream).

Here's what's on tap for this year's best tennis day of the year:

CENTRE - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Robin Soderling (SWE) [13] 113 vs Roger Federer (SUI) [2] 128
For a player whose big breakout tournament came on the terre battue, Robin Soderling's game is totally built for grass. Featuring power and more power, I expect him to smack a lot of winners past Federer in between moments of being thoroughly outclassed.
Prediction: Federer in four.

2. Dinara Safina (RUS) [1] 1 vs Amelie Mauresmo (FRA) [17] 9
The marquee matchup on the women's side today sees top Dinara Safina play on Centre court for the first time this tournament. She faces 2006 Champion Amelie Mauresmo, who always brings her best tennis (if not her strongest nerves) to the All-England Club. Safina has looked shaky at best through the first week of the tournament, while Mauresmo has looked calm and in control throughout. I like the Frenchwoman to blitz the hollow top-seed in two jarringly vicious sets.
Prediction: Mauresmo in two.

3. Andy Murray (GBR) [3] 33 vs Stanislas Wawrinka (SUI) [19] 41
The Brits have got to be loving the draw that has fallen at Andy Murray's feet through these first four rounds. And if he does make it through the fourth round, his quarterfinal opponent from the winner of Ferrero-Simon shouldn't prove too challenging either. Onward toward the semifinal he marches.
Prediction: Murray in three.

COURT 1 - SHOW COURT - 1.00 PM START

1. Venus Williams (USA) [3] 33 vs Ana Ivanovic (SRB) [13] 48
A rematch of the 2007 Wimbledon semifinal, this match will be a testament to just how far Ivanovic has fallen. Ivanovic played by far her best match of the year in beating Sam Stosur in the third round, a match that I can only explain by calling it a strange fluke. Ivanovic hasn't made a grand slam quarterfinal since she won the 2008 French Open, and there's no way that streak is ending against Venus Williams.
Prediction: Williams in 2.

2. Fernando Verdasco (ESP) [7] 97 vs Ivo Karlovic (CRO) [22] 105
As ugly and hard to watch as his game is, it's kind of refreshing to see Ivo Karlovic's serve blowing its way through the draw, taking down popular darkhorse J0-Wilfried Tsonga with it. Karlovic's game has a way of keeping players honest, and if his opponent doesn't play well he will lose, no matter how good he is (see also Federer Cincinnati 2008). Verdasco has been impressive thus far, but his mental struggles of yore are not completely behind him. I like Ivo to pull off the frustrating upset here, with a classic Verdasco breakdown left in the fifth.
Prediction: Karlovic in five.

3. Tomas Berdych (CZE) [20] 24 vs Andy Roddick (USA) [6] 32
This is the kind of matchup Andy Roddick loves to see in the middle of a slam. A mentally suspect player without a lot of variety, Tomas Berdych will hold serve a bunch, but is unlikely to pose any longterm threat.
Prediction: Roddick in three.

COURT 2 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Elena Vesnina (RUS) 86 vs Elena Dementieva (RUS) [4] 96
Probably the most under the radar of any of the sixteen women remaining, Elena Dementieva has quietly played some seriously ass-kicking tennis, earning a breadstick in each of her three matches so far. Vesnina is a nice draw, and a surprising fourth rounder on grass. Dementieva should get through easily, and make an impressive third quarterfinal at Wimbledon, despite it being on what should be her worst surface.
Prediction: Dementieva in two easy sets.

2. Daniela Hantuchova (SVK) 115 vs Serena Williams (USA) [2] 128
A rematch of their d-r-a-m-a filled fourth round match in 2007, this should be a pretty routine match for an in-shape, in-form Serena, neither of which she was in 2007. Good showing by Daniela to make it this far.
Prediction: Serena in two.

3. Lleyton Hewitt (AUS) 3 vs Radek Stepanek (CZE) [23] 9
One of the most consistently underrated players on the ATP Tour (probably due to his grave lack of charisma), Radek Stepanek has played great grasss court tennis before, and may very well surprise those who penciled Hewitt in to the quarters as soon as he beat Del Potro. This will be a tough loss for whoever comes out on the wrong end--it's a winnable match for both.
Prediction: Stepanek in four.

COURT 3 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Victoria Azarenka (BLR) [8] 97 vs Nadia Petrova (RUS) [10] 112
What should be a good match on paper should go to the Banshee of Belarus relatively easily, I would think. Azarenka has been steamrolling her way through the competition, and though she's had some underwhelming losses on big stages, I like her chances of crushing Petrova.
Prediction: Azarenka in two.

2. Dudi Sela (ISR) 85 vs Novak Djokovic (SRB) [4] 96
Novak Djokovic, like his opposite number Dementieva, largely flew under the radar through the first week. After a tough first rounder vs. capable grass courter Julien Benneteau, Djokovic looked very special in fending off a popular upset special from Mardy Fish. Dudi Sela is a fun player who has had a fun tournament, but it's largely the result of a soft draw, and reality should crash in vs. Djokovic.
Prediction: Djokovic in three.

3. Juan Carlos Ferrero (ESP) 53 vs Gilles Simon (FRA) [8] 64
A rare battle of lightweights late at Wimbledon, this match is a test of Ferrero's fitness as much as anything. And with his lack of runs in recent majors, I have to think that Ferrero won't be nearly as fresh as his younger opponent. Could be an underwhelming end to a nice run for Ferrero.
Prediction: Simon in four.

COURT 4 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Igor Andreev (RUS) [29] 72 vs Tommy Haas (GER) [24] 73
I'm at a loss for how Igor Andreev's game has been able to hold up this well on grass. With his big windmill forehand, I can't imagine it's an easy transition for him to the faster surface. Tommy Haas, on the other hand, has been playing some of the most solid tennis of his career, and should match up very well against Andreev.
Prediction: Haas in three.

2. Caroline Wozniacki (DEN) [9] 17 vs Sabine Lisicki (GER) 26
This is a tough match to get a read on. Wozniacki has had some strange losses at majors, making unseeded dreams come true so by crashing out to Dokic and Cirstea at the first two majors of the year. Lisicki has played some utterly fearless tennis so far, but she does it with a recklessness that makes me think the wheels will fall off without notice. So who knows.
Prediction: Lisicki in three.

COURT 18 - SHOW COURT - 12.00 NOON START

1. Agnieszka Radwanska (POL) [11] 49 vs Melanie Oudin (USA) 58
Melanie Oudin seems to feed off power and not deal very well with variety. Those two factors could conspire to make it a short day at the office for the perky American qualifier from Marietta, GA. Radwanska, for a player completely devoid of power, has had some very impressive grass results in her short career, including a quarterfinal at Wimbledon last year and the 2008 Eastbourne title.
Prediction: Radwanska in two.

2. Virginie Razzano (FRA) [26] 72 vs Francesca Schiavone (ITA) 74
A battle between two entertaining, scrappy players (if not necessarily cover girls), I go with Razzano, whose game seems more suited to grass than the quick yet relatively punchless Schiavone.
Prediction: Razzano in two.

Golden Girl Gone

The big news out of SW19 today came from Centre Court, where 2004 Wimbledon Ladies' Singles champion Maria Sharapova, the #24 seed, was knocked out of the tournament with a thud by Gisela Dulko of Argentina, currently ranked #45.

There was a fair amount of grumbling in some tennis circles about Sharapova being bumped from her current ranking of #60 to the #24 seed, with critics citing her ranking, her second round exit at last year's Wimbledon, and lack of a grass court title since 2005. I will agree that Sharapova's grass court p

Any objection to the bumping almost certainly is coming from longtime detractors of the polarizing Sharapova, of whom there are many with valid reasons. As someone who has managed to stay pretty neutral when it comes to the 2004 Wimbledon Champion, it seems obvious to me that seeding Sharapova was a correct and necessary move for the LTA to make.

1. All the other #21-#25 seeds lost in the first round. Seeds, especially lower ranked ones, lose all the time. Making her a seed just implies that she has a pretty good chance of winning, better than the other four people in her section. People expected her to beat Dulko, so nothing a miss there.
2. Wimbledon rewards players with great results at Wimbledon, just as they did in 2004 bumping Serena Williams from the #10 ranking to the #1 seed. And before her second round lost last year, a loss almost certainly due to the injury that restricted Sharapova to only one more tournament in 2008, Sharapova had never lost before the second week of Wimbledon. She had lost to the eventual champion three years in a row, twice in the semifinals (Venus Williams and Amelie Mauresmo) and once in the fourth round to Venus Williams, whose low ranking was the cause of the premature collision.
3. Had Sharapova not been injured for so long, her ranking would easily be within the top 32. She only was healthy enough to enter four tournaments since her last time at Wimbledon, and that includes Montreal, which she pulled out of after the first round due to her shoulder problems.
4. Seeding Sharapova protects the big names. No one wants to see a matchup between Sharapova and Serena Williams happen in the first round when both players are good enough to go far. Seeding Sharapova kept her out of the stars' way at least for a couple rounds.

Defending her seeding doesn't mean that this loss is not troubling for Sharapova. Gisela Dulko is not a bad player and is capable of giving top players scares early in majors (as she did to Serena in Melbourne earlier this year), but she doesn't have a reputation for being able to close those matches out like she was able to against Sharapova. Sharapova can't fall back on not being match tough as an excuse either, as making the quarterfinals of Roland Garros just over two weeks ago should be preparation enough for anyone.

As an aside, this loss makes it three years in a row now in which Sharapova has done better at the French Open than at Wimbledon, which is a bizarre statistic to be sure for the player who once described her clay prowess as that of a "cow on ice."

The lesson to cull from this loss may be that Sharapova is not the grass courter she was once made out to be. Her biggest results early on were on grass, to be sure, but fourteen of her nineteen career titles have come on hard courts, including eight of her last nine. She won the last last hard court slam she was healthy enough to play (Australian Open 2008), and has also won the US Open as well as the US Open Series.

Players' surface preferences have been known to shift over time, so Sharapova's evolution from grass courter to hard courter is hardly unprecedented. Andre Agassi also won his first major at Wimbledon, and only reached one Wimbledon final after that, winning six of his remaining seven major titles on hard courts.

Also worth noting is the absence of her oft-villainized father, Yuri Sharapov. Sharapova hasn't gone into great detail as to why he is no longer traveling with her, but it's safe to say that his absence certainly hasn't improved her results.

The US hardcourt swing has been where Sharapova has shone in recent years, and there's a fair amount of pressure on her to salvage her year in the coming months. The US Open does not adjust seeds, it uses the computer rankings directly. So if she's going to be seeded in the year's final grand slam, she'll have to earn it the old fashioned way.