French Open: First round ladies matches to watch (Part 1)

It is finally that time of the year when Paris witnesses a deluge of tennis players, fans and media persons as the second Grand Slam of the year is about to get under way. For the last few days there has been a lot of apprehension about whose favourite will be placed in which quarter of the draw. Finally the die has been cast and the real deal is about to begin. While the weather in the ‘City of Lights’ might be gloomy there is an amazing platter of delectable first round matches on offer which will surely brighten up the mood. Let us have a look at a handful of those intriguing matches from the top half of the women’s draw, which will be played over Sunday and Monday.

British No. 1 Laura Robson will prove a tough challenge for former world No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki. (Getty Images)

Caroline Wozniacki (10) v Laura Robson – (Head-to-head: First meeting)

For the tenth seed Caroline Wozniacki, there couldn’t have been a more lethal opponent to face in the first round. The former World No. 1 is struggling to find her feet on the red dirt and is in a miserable slump this season having lost her last four opening round matches. She is winless on the terre battue and with her father recently renouncing his coaching duties, the Dane for the time being is searching hard to find that winning feeling again.

Her opponent Laura Robson is a fledgling talent and the British No. 1. Even though unseeded, the 19-year-old knows a thing or two about causing upsets. In the last two Grand Slams she had shown the exit door to three major champions – Kim Clijsters and Li Na at the 2012 US Open and Petra Kvitova at the 2013 Australian Open. She is yet to find consistency on the tour but the big stage might just ignite the fire within her especially after having beaten Agnieszka Radwanska and Venus Williams on clay this year.

Prediction: Laura Robson wins in straight sets.

Venus Williams (30) v Urszula Radwanska – (Head-to-head: Venus leads 1-0)

This is the sister act everybody is looking forward to in the first round. Urszula Radwanska’s elder sister Agnieszka and Venus Williams’ younger sister, Serena have met thrice in the past one year but they themselves have crossed swords way back in 2006. Venus won that encounter handily but both have come a long way since then.

For the last couple of years, Venus has been plagued by a string of illness and injuries which have definitely played havoc on her performances. A back injury has troubled her this season and limited her match play on clay to just a single match at Rome where she lost to rising talent Laura Robson in the first round. The 37-ranked Pole, on the other hand, is learning to play with more confidence and tackle the grind of the season more efficiently. Her victories against No. 14 Ana Ivanovic and No. 16 Dominika Cibulkova validate that and she is going into the match with much-needed self-belief.

Prediction: Urszula Radwanska wins in three sets.

Ekaterina Makarova (22) v Svetlana Kuznetsova (Head-to-head: Kuznetsova leads 2-1)

Even though they are both Russians, there is a stark contrast between these two ladies. While Svetlana Kuznetsova is a right-hander, Ekaterina Makarova is a leftie. Makarova has so far managed to add just one WTA title to her resume but Kuznetsova has amassed 13 career titles, one of which is the prestigious Roland Garros. This isn’t the spring of 2009 when Kuznetsova entered Paris riding on a momentum of a Stuttgart win and a final at Rome. Her famed inconsistency saw her defeat Nadia Petrova and nearly beat Angelique Kerber on one hand and surrender meekly to Simona Halep on the other hand this season.

Meranwhile, Ekaterina Makarova found a new burst of energy since her remarkable Fed Cup triumph over Daniela Hantuchova and it subsequently saw her hitting the headlines by delivering Victoria Azarenka her first loss this season. The two Russians crossed paths this season at Miami where Kuznetsova emerged triumphant. Because this is the French Open, Kuznetsova, being a former champion, should find her touch again on the royal clay and defeat the higher ranked Russian.

Prediction: Kuznetsova wins in three sets.

Carla Suarez Navarro (20) v Simona Halep (Head-to-head: Suarez Navarro leads 3-2)

This is a tricky battle. Out of the five times they have locked horns, thrice their matches have gone the distance and Carla Suarez Navarro has overwhelmed Simona Halep both times they have met on clay. Does that mean Carla is sure to deal a blow this time too? Perhaps not as both these girls showed some fire on the red clay this year. Carla was of course the more accomplished one with her Justine Henin-esque backhand coming alive on the terre battue once again. She reached clay finals at Bogota and Oeiras and also reached the quarter-finals at Rome.

Nevertheless, Halep being a junior French Open champion surely knows her way on the dirt. At Rome, she was in swashbuckling form, coming off the qualifiers to score upsets over Daniela Hantuchova, Svetlana Kuznetsova, Agnieszka Radwanska, Roberta Vinci and Jelena Jankovic. But the Spaniard’s experience of reaching the French Open quarter-finals in 2008 should give her the edge in this mouth-watering contest.

Prediction: Suarez Navarro wins in three sets.

Angelique Kerber has a losing head-to-head over unseeded compatriot, Mona Barthel. (Getty Images)

Angelique Kerber (8) v Mona Barthel (Head-to-head: Barthel leads 2-1)

This is as tough as it can get. This all-German battle perhaps didn’t deserve to be a first round match. The highest-ranked German Angelique Kerber faces gifted younger German Mona Barthel, who with a current rank of 33, missed the Roland Garros seeding narrowly. Barthel is an explosive player who relies on aggression to hit winners off both the flanks and most importantly has a winning head-to-head over Kerber.

But even after capturing the GDF Suez Open in February she fell off the radar a bit since Miami. She has managed just one win this year on clay which came in the Fed Cup. In contrast, Kerber, the 2012 French Open quarter-finalist, has been gradually building her momentum since her return from back injury and had shown commendable performances on clay. The feisty German exhibited a lot of courage to take eventual champion Maria Sharapova to the distance in the Stuttgart semi-finals and reached the last-eight stage at Madrid. That would give her the required self-assurance while facing Barthel.

Prediction: Kerber wins in straight sets.