Roland Garros - Women's Tuesday Preview

Ana Ivanovic vs. Johanna Larsson

Former champion Ana Ivanovic is the only Serbian woman to have tasted Grand Slam success and with two finals already in her kitty in Roland Garros, she is a dangerous opponent on any given day. How will she fare in her opening round match? Read here.

Former World No.1 Ana Ivanovic takes on Johanna Larsson of Sweden to open her title campaign at the 2011 French Open, year's second major being played here at the historic Roland Garros in Paris, France.

2008 champion Ana Ivanovic somehow finds her top form on her favourite red clay. With a final and winner finish in Roland Garros in 2007 and 2008 respectively, the Serbian has always shone brighter on Parisian clay than any other event. The Serbian star has several confidence boosting wins to her name this year. After a quarterfinal finish in Pattaya and Indian Wells, Ivanovic lost a thriller to former World No.1 Kim Clijsters in Miami. Ivanovic has two titles from the last season which she picked up in Linz and Bali to finish the year in top 20.

Ivanovic's opponent, Swede Johanna Larsson is currently ranked No.64 in the world. Larsson's best showing in a WTA event came in 2010 in Portoroz when she reached the finals. This year, Larsson gave some notable results the most prolific of which are her two semifinals run in Estoril and Acapulco. Larsson also scored an upset win over Chinese Na Li to reach the third round in Miami.

Both players have only contested one match before and Ivanovic scored an easy 6-3, 6-0 win in the match held at the 2010 BGL Luxembourg Open.

Ivanovic is a very solid player on clay and even though Larsson has done relatively better on clay events this year, Ivanovic is likely to score win in two closely contested sets to move ahead in the draw.

Maria Sharapova vs. Mirjana Lucic

Former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova will take on Mirjana Lucic of Croatia in her opening encounter of the 2011 French Open. After battling should injuries almost for two years, the Russian powerhouse is back on winning mode and emerged as one of the top contenders to clinch the title this year at Roland Garros.

Once touted as a cruising force in the women’s tennis, current World No. 7 Maria Sharapova could not live up to the expectations of her ever-swelling fan base due to recurring shoulder problems and it took her two years to get back some form that saw her reaching the numer-uno position in WTA. The Russian star will get her Roland Garros campaign underway against Mirjana Lucic of Croatia on Tuesday.

Coming off from a fresh title victory at WTA event in Rome, the Russian must be feeling highly confident. At the same time, Sharapvoa has improved a lot from last season and rebounded nicely into Top 10 of the world. The Russian must be eying to complete her career slam by winning the French Open this year.

After her commendable performances in the recent times, Sharapova has emerged as one of the hot favourites to clinch the title along with top-seed Wozniacki, Aussie Open winner Kim Clijsters and rising star Julia Goerges. Last year, Sharapova reached the third round of the French Open. Well, she has climbed one position in her WTA Rankings last week after subduing Samantha Stosur in the Rome final.

Sharapova’s opponent Mirjana Lucic of Croatia has been struggling in this season, as she had to work really hard to earn a place in French Open draw. This will be the first meeting between the two and Sharapova is crushing favourite.

Kim Clijsters vs. Anastasiya Yakimova

Winner of the last two Grand Slam events in New York and Melbourne, Belgian Kim Clijsters has developed a habit for claiming top honours and in many tennis pundits eyes, despite not being 100% fit, she is a favourite to win at Roland Garros. How will she fare in the crucial first match? Read here to find out.

Four time Grand Slam champion Kim Clijsters takes on Belarusian Anastasiya Yakimova to kick start her title campaign at the 2011 French Open, season's second Grand Slam event being played here at Roland Garros in Paris, France.

Clijsters situation reminds me of 2010 Australian Open championships where, despite an injured status and heavily taped thighs, Serena Williams picked up a slam by the virtue of her hunger to win and the fightiing spirit. Belgian Kim Clijsters has shown the same champion's attitude in the past few years and is by far, the strongest contender for this year's championships on red clay. Clijsters has made three finals this year in Sydney, Melbourne and Paris (Open GDF Suez) and has win from Melbourne at the Australian Open. When you know what it takes to 'WIN BIG', a lot is automatically taken care of in the sports arena. In the field that has only three grand Slam champions besides her, Clijsters is the most experienced and consistent and so is in the race for title glory at the 2011 French Open.

Clijsters' opponent, Belarusian Anastasiya Yakimova is currently ranked 100 in the world and has no WTA singles titles to her name. Yakimova's most notable runs have come in Istanbul (2006) and Portoroz (2010). Her best Grand Slam performance came in the Australian Open's 2007 edition. Yakimova's strongest ally is her backhand and she admires Steffi Graf the most.

Both players have contested one match already this year in Miami and Clijsters recorded a comfortable 6-1, 6-1 win in it.

A lot will depend on how Clijsters performs in the opening round match today. A shaky start might reduce her chances of winning the title.

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