Tennis Atlantic

2012 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Preview

By Steve Fogleman, TennisEastCoast.com

Grand Slam
London, England
June 25-July 8, 2012
Prize Money: £16,060,000

The Great Grandmother of Grand Slams is upon us. Or should we call Wimbledon the Great Slam Mother? Or the Slam Mum? The latter one sounds too close to the title of Morrissey’s ill-advised “Slum Mums“. Either way, if there’s one thing we know and love about grandmothers, it is their consistency. We don’t expect them to show up at Sunday dinner with a neck tattoo, a tongue-piercing or a 20-year-old boyfriend. On that note, we certainly don’t expect the Great Grandmother of Grand Slams to shock us, either.  We don’t expect a world #50 to play in the ladies final. The All England Lawn Tennis Club boasts Petra Kvitova as its reigning champion, about the closest thing to octogenarian body-piercing that will ever come out of SW19.

The British Drought Does Not Amuse Us

First Round Matchups to Watch

Kim Clijsters v. Jelena Jankovic

JJ and Kim have met many times before, and Clijsters leads the series 7-1. She beat Jankovic in the Sydney final in 2007. JJ’s lone win against Kim was in Toronto in 2009. The big question is Clijsters’ ability to ramp back up after the layoff. In a close one, Jankovic’s recent tour experience could prove the difference.

Caroline Wozniacki v. Tamira Paszek

Tamira’s on a roll right now. The Eastbourne finalist has found very recent success, while Wozniacki was dumped in Eastbourne’s first round by Christina McHale. You will know right away if Wozniacki has come packing heat at Wimbledon by her success against Paszek. Expect Paszek to press her, but Wozniacki to win. The winner could face red-hot Alize Cornet in the second round.

Yanina Wickmayer v. Svetlana Kuznetsova

Wickmayer ended Kuznetsova’s Wimbledon bid last year in three sets in the Round of 32 when both women were ranked in the top 20. This year, only Kuznetsova is seeded, and she’s at #32. Though neither has played with consistency this year, this match is a true toss-up. The winner should be comfortably poised to at least the third round, as Greta Arn and Galina Voskoboeva are possible second round opponents.

Victoria Azarenka v. Irina Falconi

Another early test for a high seed, Azarenka will face one of my favorite Americans in the draw. Falconi is a Birmingham Quarterfinalist. Azarenka hasn’t had a lot of exposure to the grass since bowing out in the fourth round to Dominika Cibulkova at Roland Garros. A close match is expected.

Top Half:

Maria Sharapova starts against Anastasia Rodionova, who shouldn’t present a mammoth challenge. Her possible second round opponents could give her trouble, as qualifier Vesna Dolonc and Eastbourne quarterfinalist Tsvetana Pironkova have several impressive wins under their belt in the last week. After that, it could be smooth sailing. By seeding, she should face Sabine Lisicki in the Round of 16, although Lisicki’s consistency is very questionable at this time.

Those who would seek to face Sharapova in the Quarterfinals include Clijsters, Jankovic, Kerber, Zvonareva, and the currently dangerous upset duo of Ekaterina Makarova and Christina McHale. Clijsters will provide answers almost immediately as to her chances of hoisting a last trophy on the grass during her first round match against JJ. Zvonareva has turned over little evidence to suggest that she will make it far enough to face the winner of JJ and Clijsters.

Angelique Kerber will likely have to face one or two of the giant-slayers from Eastbourne. Ekaterina Makarova is a probable second round opponent, and McHale could be waiting for the winner in the third round.   

In the bottom of the top half, #3 seed Aga Radwanska will face an early test, but not until the second round. Elena Vesnina and Venus Williams will vie for the right to be that test subject. After that, Aga could face Hantuchova and then Birmingham Champ Melanie Oudin or Nads Petrova in the Round of 16. An early stumble for Radwanska is very possible.

Those who seek to meet Radwanska in the Quarterfinal include Sam Stosur and Na Li. Those two players might have the easiest opening rounds of the draw and should be favorites to advance. 

Bottom Half:

The top part of the bottom half is the “group of death” for the ladies at Wimbledon. With Serena at the top and Kvitova at the bottom, most would pencil them in for a quarterfinal meeting. The devil is in the details, though, and while Kvitova’s ability to repeat as champion is slightly uncertain, Serena’s ride is rocky. She should survive the first two rounds before a possible match up with the winner of Wozniak and Jie Zheng. Wozniak won that matchup against Zheng at Wimbledon. If Serena were to be successful there, she would be looking at a fight against either Roland Garros finalist Errani, RG quarterfinalist Shvedova or 19 seed Lucie Safarova. 

To find the Round of 16, Kvitova will probably face Pavlyuchenkova. To make it to the quarters, she could be seeing Schiavone or Cibulkova.

In the final quarter of the draw, Wozniacki, Bartoli and Azarenka reign supreme. Perhaps this is the group of death after all. Wozniacki, as mentioned above, will face Paszek in the opener. A second rounder with Cornet is probable. Then would come Wickmayer/Kuznetsova. Marion Bartoli should be waiting for her next.

Azarenka has an easier ride than most. That opener against Falconi will say so much about her chances to reach the final.

Though the WTA has been known as “Winning Through Anarchy” of late, 2012 Wimbledon will likely shape up to be more predictable than recent slams. Sharapova has the draw she needs to win a second straight slam, and only Azarenka has the draw and perseverance to meet her in the final.

Dark Horse: Melanie Oudin

Though she’s had a few disappointing seasons, Oudin’s comeback is coming at the perfect time. After slogging through Birmingham to capture her first WTA title ever, she is poised to make a possible run to the quarterfinals. Her finest performance at Wimbledon to date was a 2009 4th round appearance. She should have as good a shot as anyone to beat Radwanska in a possible 4th round match up this year.

Predictions:

Quarterfinals

Sharapova d. Kerber

Stosur d. Oudin

Kvitova d. S. Williams

Azarenka d. Bartoli

Semifinals

Sharapova d. Stosur

Azarenka d. Kvitova

Final

Sharapova d. Azarenka