View Full Version : Shriver's QF picks! Serena, Henin, Petrova, Clijsters

Jun 3rd, 2003, 01:44 AM
Pressure eases on Mauresmo
By Pam Shriver
Special to ESPN.com

PARIS -- For Amelie Mauresmo the pressure's slightly off. She's had trouble just getting through the second week and living up to the potential of her seeding in her home country. So she's done that and has that off her shoulders.

Pam's Picks

Former WTA Tour pro Pam Shriver is providing ESPN.com with in-depth analysis throughout the French Open. Shriver, a tennis analyst for ESPN, was ranked as high as No. 3 in singles play. She won 21 singles and 112 doubles crowns, including 22 Grand Slam titles.

Her match with Serena Williams is the match of the tournament so far, at least on the women's side. The last time they played, Mauresmo won in one of two losses on clay for Serena this year.

So Mauresmo has the game to beat Serena. They both move well. Both have power. Serena has a little more power and a slightly better serve. Mauresmo is slightly better on clay. So, on paper it looks like an extremely close match.

Who will be able to produce the more positive play when it gets tight will be the key and based on recent Grand Slam play, it's hard to go against Serena. Her streak will inevitably end, and it might be here at the French, but so far she's found a way to win.

For being the No. 1 seed, Serena's had a tough draw: Mauresmo, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Kim Clijsters. It would not surprise me if any of the next couple of matches go against Serena because she's playing against opponents who are more comfortable on clay and have a lot of big wins lately. But I'm picking Serena to win in a very close match.

Let's look at the other matchups:

Justine Henin-Hardenne (4), Belgium, vs. Chanda Rubin (8), United States
Chanda Rubin beat her on Miami on a hard court, a surface that Rubin is more comfortable on than clay. Rubin's been digging out some close matches, but she's not playing at the level of Henin-Hardenne when Henin-Hardenne is on her clay-court game.

Henin-Hardenne will run down enough balls to win this in straight sets because Rubin is going to have to have her best day on her forehand and do everything else well to have a chance. Henin-Hardenne is too stubborn and too experienced on clay and will get to the semifinals for the second in time in three years.
Pick: Henin-Hardenne

Nadia Petrova, Russia, vs. Vera Zvonareva (22), Russia
Big surprise that these two are playing instead of Jennifer Capriati and Venus Williams. Instead of an all-American quarterfinal it's an all-Russian matchup. Nadia Petrova and Vera Zvonareva are leading a very talented group of Russians, who are going to be around a long time.

Petrova is playing better than Zvonareva. Her backhand is phenomenal, her forehand is also a weapon and she moves well. The biggest difference is on the serve -- Petrova's serve is much better. Petrova is not really 76th in the world anymore after defeating Monica Seles and Jennifer Capriati. Petrova is playing as well as any of the top players right now.

Petrova's playing on the big court for her first major quarterfinal. Really, both women are in uncharted territory and the question is who is going to handle it better. If they both handle it well, Petrova is the better player.
Pick: Petrova

Conchita Martinez (24), Spain, vs. Kim Clijsters (2), Belgium
The only surface that Conchita Martinez has a shot against Clijsters is clay -- at this point in both of their careers. Martinez had a nice break in the last round -- an unhealthy Lindsay Davenport, while Clijsters started off against Maggie Maleeva like she'd forgotten how to play tennis. You put all that together, and you feel like Martinez has a chance.

But at the end of the day, Clijsters has an amazing opportunity to get to her second French Open final because of the loss of expert winners like Davenport, Capriati, Venus and earlier Seles. Clijsters cannot ask for anything more in a draw than what's happened here. She's still haunted by what happened in Australia when she lost a 5-1 lead to Serena Williams. So she's still got some tests to get through to the final. But she won't have this good of a draw again in a long time. To have the next seed be No. 22 doesn't happen often in women's tennis. And don't hold your breath for it to happen again anytime soon.
Pick: Clijsters

Jun 3rd, 2003, 03:19 AM
somehow i dont think kim is haunted by anything.

Jun 3rd, 2003, 03:27 AM
PhoenixStorm - I love Kim, and I definitely think that loss to Serena haunts her. Before that match, she wasn't really known as a choker at all. Since then, though, she lost a final to Sugiyama despite being up a set and a break, and she lost to Henin despite having match points. She also let a lead against Capriati slip (though she ended up winning the 3rd set). I think it's pretty obvious that in those matches Kim was thinking of losing that lead to Serena...and now has trouble closing out big matches.

Jun 3rd, 2003, 03:32 AM
somehow I know she is...
trust me... If she wasn't she wouldn't be human. Venus is probably stll haunted from that match back in 1999 against Martina Hingis at UsOpen sf, Serena got thru, and Venus choked THRU the match, her second serve was soooooooooooooo slow, and had she had played better, she would have won the first slam, so yes it haunts her. Jennifers 8 match points against Venus still haunts her. Serena had lots of though losses too, and they still haunt her... well how do they haunt them... I say for the better... since they learned to squize the trigger once the opportunity comes...
5-1 up against #1 in the semis of a Slam, and lose it, will haunt u for a LONG time... I still remember losing match points in my first final 2 years ago..,. just remembering is haunting.

but it happens to everyone...

*this post indicates I am tired ;)
am going to sleep *

Jun 3rd, 2003, 03:38 AM
that's funny..I see things very differently.

I think Amelie will take it; but it's going to be
on 1 bad error by Serena.

Justine ok- I can buy that.

Vera ran everything down despite how great
Venus was serving. I don't think the server
will be at advantage in the battle of Russia.
I pick Vera.

The tough match IMHO is Kim vs Conchita.
I have no idea how this one will turn out. I don't
know how Pam can be so certain about Kim winning.
The match is in the slower court- not center court.
It's highly likely that she may choke it away as we
seen her do it. It's such a huge match. It's suppose to
be a cake walk. If Kim is to win it will have to be a quick
Steffi Graf like kill in 40 minutes or she will faulter. I still
think it's up in the air.

Jun 3rd, 2003, 06:58 AM
Pam's going by the favorites, and how Petrova has been performing so far in the tourney....I can buy her picks.

Jun 3rd, 2003, 07:13 AM
Why everybody think Amelie is under pressure :(

Jun 3rd, 2003, 08:11 AM
IMO, it's hard to say how well Vera is playing. Venus lost the match. Again, 100 points for Vera, 86 off Venus' errors. Venus lost the match.

Jun 4th, 2003, 08:06 PM
Pretty accurate, as it turns out. Mal Washington totally blew his. GO PAM

Helen Lawson
Jun 4th, 2003, 08:25 PM
Pam really went out on a limb for those picks. She gets paid for this?