Hello my lovelies. How has everyone been? Life has without a doubt got in the way of blogging. Work, work and more work. All well and good as it keeps me employed, but it does get in the way of my hobby.
Anyway, the start of this tennis season has seen some fantastic performances from the women. I am sure that everyone has read all the stats and seen all the matches so I won't waste time recapping here. Suffice it to say that women's tennis has its Big Three, something that the rest of the world seems to just be catching on to, and it is a Big Three that is not only dominant but consistently dominant as well.
The French Open brings with it, its own story lines. The biggest question that is being asked is whether Serena can finally add another French Open title to her collection. In my view, even though she has won everything that is to be won during this clay swing, if she falls at the final hurdle, all she has to do is come back next year. It does not, in my honest opinion, affect her stellar play this year.
Will Maria Sharapova actually defend a Grand Slam title? Will Azarenka complete the second leg of the calendar year Grand Slam? Is Petra Kvitova ready to add to her Grand Slam collection? Is Li Na ready to win another Grand Slam? How about Radwanska? Is her shoulder healed enough for 2 weeks of intense competition? How about Stosur? She says she is fully healed from the calf injury. Sara Errani was last year's surprise finalist. Can she make another run at the title?
There are a few dark horses lurking throughout the draw. Kerber, Ivanovic and Jankovic. All 3 women have done well throughout the clay season and while they did not win any titles, they were definitely showing some good game in the lead up tournaments.
SPIN'S PICKS
Below is the Day 1 schedule for the ladies. Spin's Picks are in red. Enjoy the tournament.
Serena Williams [1]
v Anna Tatishvili
Caroline Garcia [WC] v Yuliya Beygelzimer [Q]
Sorana Cirstea [26] v Kiki Bertens
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [19] v Andrea Hlavackova
Petra Cetkovska v Olga Puchkova
Galina Voskoboeva [Q] v Grace Min [Q]
Mallory Burdette v Donna Vekic
Mandy Minella v Dinah Pfizenmaier [Q]
Venus Williams [30] v Urszula Radwanska
Virginie Razzano [WC] v Claire Feuerstein [WC]
Ana Ivanovic [14] v Petra Martic
Nadia Petrova [11] v Monica Puig
Irena Pavlovic [WC] v Shelby Rogers
Sabine Lisicki [32] v Sofia Arvidsson
Ayumi Morita v Yulia Putintseva
Sara Errani [5] v Arantxa Rus
Caroline Garcia [WC] v Yuliya Beygelzimer [Q]
Sorana Cirstea [26] v Kiki Bertens
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova [19] v Andrea Hlavackova
Petra Cetkovska v Olga Puchkova
Galina Voskoboeva [Q] v Grace Min [Q]
Mallory Burdette v Donna Vekic
Mandy Minella v Dinah Pfizenmaier [Q]
Venus Williams [30] v Urszula Radwanska
Virginie Razzano [WC] v Claire Feuerstein [WC]
Ana Ivanovic [14] v Petra Martic
Nadia Petrova [11] v Monica Puig
Irena Pavlovic [WC] v Shelby Rogers
Sabine Lisicki [32] v Sofia Arvidsson
Ayumi Morita v Yulia Putintseva
Sara Errani [5] v Arantxa Rus
