‘Another dominant performance, and the women’s world number one collects the winner’s trophy”
So very recently the subject of that quote was undoubtedly Ash Barty, but sadly the Australian is no longer part of the conversation as we enter Roland Garros 2022.
It’s Iga Swiatek that now sits atop the tennis world, and the #1 seed truly deserves outright favouritism to collect her second red clay major.
Swiatek is drawn to meet in the quarter finals Karolina Pliskova (8), a player she has encountered only once before. Iga struggled to a 6-0 6-0 win in the Rome final last year.
Pliskova just lost a semi final in Strasbourg, so is in some reasonable form.
Unseeded Claire Liu, a finalist in Rabat at the weekend, and Jessica Pegula (11) pose viable threats to Pliskova’s quarter final dream.
Swiatek has a real chance of running into Simona Halep in the round of sixteen. Halep is seeded 19, that low mainly because of injury, and presents the perfect trial for the top seed.
They have battled twice previously at Roland Garros, each occasion in the fourth round.
In 2019 Halep won the day. In 2020 Swiatek turned the tables en route to claiming the title.
This year Swiatek defeated Halep in the Indian Wells semis.
Two former world number twos, Paula Badosa (3) and Aryna Sabalenka (7) headline the other quarter in the top half of the draw.
Badosa, since winning in Adelaide in January, has had a mixed season, with quarters and semis her best results.
Sabalenka struggled, especially with her serve, but she found her form in Stuttgart in April, making the final, and losing to Swiatek which everyone does.
In Rome a few weeks later Sabalenka made the semis, including a win over Badosa, and it was Swiatek that prevented any further success there.
In Badosa’s quarter is unseeded Kaja Juvan, who lost a three tie break final to Angie Kerber at the weekend in Strasbourg. Madison Keys (22) (former RG semi finalist) and Elena Rybakina (16) are also lurking.
Sabalenka should beware unseeded Yulia Putintseva, and Daria Kasatkina (20) or Danielle Collins (9) who are likely to fight a third round battle.
Ons Jabeur (6) is proving to be this years queen of the clay and a possible final opponent for Swiatek if form is to be trusted.
Jabeur leads the top quarter of the bottom half of the draw, and is seeded to play her quarter against Maria Sakkari (4).
Jabeur won the Madrid Open, and this followed a final appearance in Charleston and quarter final in Stuttgart.
After Madrid, Jabeur was a finalist in Rome, defeated by Swiatek. Sakkari was one of her beaten rivals in that tournament.
Unseeded Martina Trevisan and Angelique Kerber (21) both won tournaments at the weekend, and could very well be opponents for Jabeur as may GS champions Petra Kvitova (32) and Emma Raducanu (12).
Maria Sakkari made 2022 finals in St Petersburg and Indian Wells, but hasn’t had similar success since, and her section of the draw offers more of a threat than does Jabeur’s.
Names such as Belinda Bencic (14), Leylah Fernandez (17), and Amanda Anisimova or unseeded Naomi Osaka (the last two meet in round one), plus Bianca Andreescu, all promise something, and one or more may deliver it to Sakkari.
The bottom quarter of the bottom half houses defending champion and second seed Barbora Krejcikova.
Krejcikova has been off the scene since February with an elbow injury, but this shouldn’t excuse her from the reckoning in the next fortnight.
It won’t be easy, with the good form of Jil Teichmann (23), Sorana Cirstea (26), Camila Osorio, Oceane Dodin and others.
The likelihood of Victoria Azarenka (15) in a quarter final is a particularly harsh assignment.
Anett Kontaveit (5) is drawn to play Krejcikova in the quarters - after winning St Petersburg in February, Kontaveit followed by losing a final in the same month to Swiatek in Doha. The next months haven’t produced the same level of happiness, and the Estonian will require a quick turn around in fortune if she expects to reach the final eight.
Any of Elise Mertens (31), CoCo Gauff (18) and former champion Garbiñe Muguruza (10) could pose problems for the fifth seed.
My predictions:
Quarter finals:
Iga Swiatek (1) v Karolina Pliskova (8)
Paula Badosa (3) v Aryna Sabalenka (7)
Ons Jabeur (6) v Naomi Osaka
CoCo Gauff (18) v Victoria Azarenka (15)
Semi finals:
Iga Swiatek (1) v Aryna Sabalenka (7)
Ons Jabeur (6) v Victoria Azarenka (15)
Final:
Iga Swiatek (1) to defeat Ons Jabeur (6)
and claim her second RG crown
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