French Open
Tournament Preview
The French Open has arrived and many different players could win it, as it is extremely open.
Martina Hingis is currently ranked #1 and only has won the Australian Open, but has made 2 finals and 2 semifinals. Martina has been quite consistant this season and you can almost expect her to win early matches. Martina will enjoy her bye in the 1st round and then will get right to work. Martina has nearly a 300 point lead over #2 Peschke and #3 Ivanovic, but with a good performance from either, it could be taken away. Martina has done well on clay so expect her to win her matches.
![]()
Ana Ivanovic started out the season great, winning her 1st 8 matches. Her 1st 5 events, she had made the finals, winning 3 of them and losing in her 1st match in only 1. The problem was that one was the Australian Open, where Ana needed wins to dominate the rankings. Ana lost in the semifinals in Berlin and the quarterfinals (her 1st match) in Rome. That means she is 0-2 in big tournament play, and currently not winning all her match. Ana needs wins here to still prove she is one of the best, even though she has 2 titles. She can win the title, but will need to be at her best without any nerves.
![]()
Anastasia Myskina made her debut in Rome last week and what a debut it was. She won the 2nd biggest title of the season so far and was amazing throughout the tournament. She made tough oponents look bad and looked as if she owned the tour. It may have been beginners luck but it is not easy to beat the top players at a high tiered event, especially a Tier 1a. Anastasia will be trying to continue her success in Paris and she is a contender for the title.
Justine Henin-Hardenne and Agnieszka Radwanska also won titles on clay so they could be contenders also, but the title for Agnieszka is nearly the only thing she has on her resume. She played well in the final against Ivanovic, but has won only 1 match since. She can win matches in Paris if she is in form. Justine Henin-Hardenne won Berlin in her debut and may also be a contender, though she got stopped last week against Martina Hingis. If she is also in form, she will be a threat.
World #2 Kveta Peschke is a contender recently bumping Ana Ivanovic down in the rankings. Kveta recently made the final in Rome and made the semifinals in Melbourne, so she will be a threat for the title. Others to watch are Serena Williams, Melbourne finalist, Elena Dementieva, talented up-and-comer, and doubles specialists Nicole Vadisova and Marta Domachowska.
Projected Draw
1st Round
Nicole Vaidisova def (6) Venus Williams
(8) Anastasia Myskina def Elena Dementieva
(4) Serena Williams def Alina Jidkova
Justine Henin-Hardenne def (5) Lindsay Davenport
(7) Agnieszka Radwanska def Marta Domachowska
Quarterfinals
(1) Martina Hingis def Nicole Vaidisova
(8) Anastasia Myskina def (4) Serena Williams
(3) Ana Ivanovic def Justine Henin-Hardenne
(2) Kveta Peschke def (7) Agnieszka Radwanska
Semifinals
(1) Martina Hingis def (8) Anastasia Myskina
(2) Kveta Peschke def (3) Ana Ivanovic
Finals
(2) Kveta Peschke def (1) Martina Hingis
