Month of June , 2008

  Day 8: Sunday, 1 June
 Women's Singles - 4th Rnd. and Men's Singles - 4th Rnd.
CHATRIER 11:00 Start

 The Serbian flag will be flying high on Centre Court on Sunday when three players from the Balkan country battle it out for a quarter-final spot at the French Open.

Last year's finalist Ana Ivanovic, seeded second, will face unseeded Czech Petra Cetkovska as she continues her bid for a first grand slam title.

She will be followed by compatriot and rival Jelena Jankovic, who will hope her right arm injury will not bother her against Polish 14th seed Agnieszka Radwanska.

The round of 16 was finalized at Roland Garros on Saturday, and it is quite a bit different from what was expected when the draw first came out. Below are some talking points as we embark on the second week in the French capital.
 
Top 16 seeds not in round of 16: 6

With five successive Wimbledon titles, and an unbeaten record on grass stretching back six years, Roger Federer should be the first man to vote for a longer grasscourt season.

But he isn't.

With three successive French Open titles, and coming from a country with an incurable allergy to grass, Rafael Nadal should be the first to vote for a shorter one.

But he isn't.

"I don't think it should happen (lengthen the season), even though grass is maybe my best surface and I've had unbelievable success," said Federer.

Reaction from all the big names at Roland Garros.
 

Tennis Week is teaming with legendary coach Nick Bollettieri to provide previews and in-depth analysis of the French Open. Nick Bollettieri previews intriguing women's French Open fourth-round matches today. Look for Nick's Picks of the most exciting Roland Garros matches on a round-by-round basis in the coming days.
 
(3) Jelena Jankovic (SRB) vs. (14) Agnieszka Radwanska (POL)

Q. You had just a bit of a lapse in the second set, but otherwise were you happy with your play today?
DINARA SAFINA: Yes and no. I mean, it's good that I could close it up in two sets. Second set, it looked from ?? the way I was feeling inside was one thing and then when I was talking with my coach it was completely different.
So he said that I was just way too passive. That's why I started like complicated everything. And he said, like, just for the next rounds have to be much more aggressive.
 

Q. Your serve has always been an important part of your game, but in your first three matches, your serving has been particularly strong. Have you been working extra hard on your serve? It's been almost dominating here?
SVETLANA KUZNETSOVA: Yeah, I did change my serve after Miami. So, you know, it took me three weeks. I played Warsaw, I played better in Rome. It was unconsistent, (sic) but now it's getting better.

The Czech Republic’s newest sensation may have struggled to get where she is, but the 23 year-old seems to have all the necessary cards in her hand to become one of the stars of the circuit, as she prepares to face Ana Ivanovic in the fourth round.
 

World number two Ana Ivanovic stamped her title credentials at the French Open with a 6-0 6-0 fourth-round whitewashing of unseeded Czech Petra Cetkovska on Sunday.
 
The Serb, who reached the final at Roland Garros last year, will meet either Swiss 10th seed Patty Schnyder or Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik, seeded 27th, in the quarter-finals.
 
Ivanovic did not take time to improve her tan on a sunsoaked Centre Court, wrapping it up in 54 minutes and leaving a resigned Cetkovska to look back at the two break points she had.
 

VERA ZVONAREVA
Date of birth: September 7, 1984
Place of birth: Moscow, Russia

Continuing our daily series of interviews with the stars of tennis, we talk to Jelena Jankovic, semi-finalist in 2007 and No3 in the world.
 
Favourite film
Something’s Gotta Give
 
Favourite singer or group
Justin Timberlake.
 
What do you prefer to read?
At the moment it’s my school books as I’m revising for my university exams which I have to take soon.
 

Tournament favourite joins Safina and Kuznetsova in the fourth round
 
There was another wobble, albeit a stately one, before Maria Sharapova took her place among the last 16 of those chasing Justine Henin's women's crown at the French Open. Sharapova, the top-seeded favourite to collect the only Grand Slam missing from her collection, will need to sharpen up her act for the tournament's second week, starting with her fourth-round match against fellow Russian Dinara Safina.
 

Jelena Jankovic overcame an injury scare and a stubborn opponent to reach the quarter-finals of the French Open on Sunday, beating Poland's Agnieszka Radwanska 6-3 7-6.
 
The Serbian third seed took a lengthy injury time-out to have her neck and shoulder manipulated by a tournament trainer while leading 6-3 2-1.
 
Despite the discomfort Jankovic hung in for dear life in the second set, as the Pole stormed back from 5-1 down, and sealed victory on her fourth attempt when a net-charging Radwanska slapped a backhand long to lose the tiebreak 7-3.

Ernests Gulbis continued his surprising run at the French Open on Sunday with a 6-4, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory over Michael Llodra.

Making his second appearance at this claycourt Grand Slam, Gulbis will face either third-seeded Novak Djokovic or Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the quarters.

Gulbis beat seventh-seeded American James Blake in the second round

The standard of tennis has shot up for both men and women.
Young players are emerging from many countries and they have taken to the sport very seriously. They want to win and they are training very hard.
That is why it is no surprise to see them do well in competitions, eliminating those who have been in the forefront of the sport for some time and who are resting on their laurels.
Today, every player enters the court with grit, guts and determination. They want to beat the best.

The Patrons on the Philippe Chatrier Centre Court were just starting to file back into the seats after another good lunch here by the time Maria Sharapova got the hiccups out of her game and finally made the fourth round of the French Open.
 

Is a fitter, leaner Ana Ivanovic strong enough to deal with the burden of being the favourite at Roland Garros?
 

If anyone is going to stop Ana Ivanovic from going on her maiden voyage to her first Grand Slam title, she is going to have put on an ethereal performance against the sweet-swinging Serbian.

In a sure sign that she has recovered her form and is ready for a stellar second week, the second seed put a 6-0, 6-0 fourth-round pasting on unseeded Czech Petra Cetkovska on Sunday.

World number three Novak Djokovic booked his place in the quarter-finals of the French Open with a convincing 6-4 6-3 6-4 win over local favourite Paul-Henri Mathieu on Sunday.
The Australian Open champion held his nerve in the key moments of the match to set up a meeting with Latvian hopeful Ernests Gulbis.

"I was serving very well and it's very encouraging for the continuation of the tournament," the Serbian said in a courtside interview.