Western & Southern Women’s Open is a ‘land of opportunity’
The womens event boasts 18 of the top 20 ranked players in the world and marks a significant stop on the US Open series tour. But, due to the grueling nature of the summer hardcourt season, there have been some untimely withdrawals from the event in Mason. Serena Williams withdrew in mid July due to foot and ankle injuries and her sister Venus announced knee injuries would keep her idle. Justin Henin also has been suffering from injuries since a successful return from a brief retirement.
There are three main themes to this years tournament stop in Mason. 1). The Russian women are once again dominating the top of the rankings with seven players in the top 15. Since the early 90’s they have continued to have consistent results in every surface and seem to reload year after year. A few names that stand out are; Wimbledon runner-up Vera Zvonereva, Nadia Petrova, and a Svetlana Kusnetsova who won lasts weeks event in Carlsbad, Calif. 2). Next we have a group of players attempting to regain their form. Let’s begin with last years runner-up Dinara Safina, who just 12 months ago she was ranked #1 and winning consistently. Injuries and lack of confidence have hampered her results recently. Then we have Ana Ivanovic of Serbia. also a former number 1 ranked player who has fallen on hard times. Although she has won a major title at the French open, she has not won a tournament in 18 months. And finally there is Maria Sharapova. With three major titles to her credit she definitely has the most to gain. Although not as feared as she once was on tour, her form as of late shows the most promise in this group. 3). This is the land of opportunity. without fail, there are players who emerge on the scene from seemingly nowhere.
