2009 French Open – Nick’s Picks – Women’s Singles Semifinals
Dinara Safina (RUS) vs. Dominika Cibulkova (SVK)
As thought, Safina got her first big test of the tournament when she faced Victoria Azarenka in the quarters. She dropped the opening set, but fought back to advance in three. The win puts her into the semis for the second-straight year and now she is two wins away from claiming her first career Grand Slam title.
Cibukova looked dominant against Maria Sharapova in the quarters, taking out the former world #1 6-0, 6-2. This is her first appearance in the semifinals of a Grand Slam tournament as she had previously never been out of the fourth round of any of the big four events.
Match-Up:
Safina is 2-0 against Cibulkova but they have never faced on clay. Cibulkova looked great against Sharapova, but to be fair to Sharapova she played four consecutive three-set matches in only her second tournament in 10 months. Against Safina, it will be a different story. Cibulkova will try to use her movement and powerful groundstrokes to keep Safina off-balance. This is much easier said than done though because Safina loves to control play and she has the tool set to do so. Safina is bigger, stronger, and more aggressive than Cibulkova and when you combine that with her experience in playing in these matches the edge goes to the Russian.
Nick’s Pick – Safina in 3 sets
Svetlana Kuznetsova (RUS) vs. Samantha Stosur (AUS)
Kuznetsova is back in the semifinals of the French Open for the second consecutive year. Last year she lost to Dinara Safina, whom she could face in the finals if they both win. It’s been a long time since we have seen Kuznetsova play the way she is capable of consistently, and if she could regain the form that took her to the finals of the 2006 French Open and the 2007 US Open, and helped her win the 2004 US Open that would be great for tennis.
We have said from the beginning that this tournament is wide open, so it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise to see Sam Stosur in the semifinals. The 25-year old Australian is playing in her first career Grand Slam semifinals in the singles. She has plenty of experience in the doubles as she is a two-time Grand Slam champion in that arena. She knocked off Sorana Cirstea 6-1, 6-3 in the quarters.
Match-Up:
Kuznetsova is 1-0 against Stosur, but that match took place five years ago on a hard court. Kuznetsova got a much-needed win for her psyche over Serena Williams in the quarters. There is no doubt she has the talent to capture the title, she just needs to believe in herself. Beating Serena should definitely give her the confidence she needs to take down anyone she may face moving forward. On the other side, Stosur is playing excellent tennis. She’s won her last two matches without dropping a set and only losing a combined seven games. She is a strong player who moves well and is very comfortable at the net. The key in this match is going to be the relentless pounding groundstrokes of Kuznetsova. She stands right around that baseline and doesn’t make many errors. This will allow her to control the court and keep Stosur pushed back. This will be an excellent match, and I give the edge to the Russian.
Nick’s Pick – Kuznetsova in 3 sets
