Nick's Picks: French Open Women's Fourth Round

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)

Despite being seeded third, Jankovic has been very quiet at this year’s French Open. She has yet to drop a set, and I think she has to be considered as a strong favorite to win this tournament. Last year she reached the semis, and I am sure she would be very disappointed if she didn’t get back.
If you haven’t seen this 19-year old Polish girl play, you need to! She has already won two titles in 2008, with her most recent coming last week at Istanbul (on clay). She has one of the brightest futures on the WTA Tour, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see her in the top 10 very soon.
Match-Up:

This will be the first career match between Jankovic and Radwanska. Both girls are fierce competitors, and get lots and lots of balls back. Simply put, Radwanska doesn’t make many mistakes. She is extremely consistent, takes the ball early, and seems very comfortable sliding on the clay.
In my opinion, Jankovic is the best athlete on the WTA Tour. Her two-handed backhand is a beautiful shot, but her real weapon is her fitness. That is what I believe will be the difference in this match. She moves across the court unbelievably, and frustrates her opponents by making them hit one extra shot than they want to. When you combine that with the fact that she doesn’t have any mental breakdowns anymore, you have a champion in the making.
Nick’s Pick — Jankovic in 3 sets     

(10) Patty Schnyder (SUI) vs. (27) Katarina Srebotnik (SLO)
 
Schnyder is playing in her lucky 13th career French Open. In her previous 12 tries, she has been to the quarterfinals once and the fourth round five times. Her results on clay this year have been pretty solid, as she has been to the quarters at both Charleston and Rome.
Srebotnik pulled off the upset of the tournament so far, taking out Serena Williams in the third round. She had played her at Charleston earlier this year, and lost in three sets, but said that experience helped her out dramatically in this match. This is only the second time in 10 appearances that she has been past the third round at Roland Garros.
 
Match-Up:
These two veterans have played three times previously, with Schnyder winning two of those matches. Schnyder is a crafty lefty, who excels on the clay. This is because she knows how to slide, can change the pace, and hits a variety of shots from anywhere on the court. We already saw Srebotnik pull off one big upset, so she is certainly capable of another one. I just think Schnyder’s experience and clay-court prowess will be too much for the 27-year old Slovenian.
Nick’s Pick — Schynder in 3 sets