Rome Masters Women's Draw Preview: Continuing with the Madrid domination

Serena Williams and runner-up Maria Sharapova pose with their trophies after the final of the Madrid Masters on May 12, 2013 in Madrid, Spain. (Getty Images)

As the world’s eyes turn towards Rome, the last pit-stop before the French Open, it’s Serena Williams who has emerged as the unequivocal favourite after her near-flawless game in the final against Maria Sharapova at the Madrid Masters.

Though at the start of the year it was Victoria Azarenka who laid strong claim to the WTA fortress by defending her 2012 Australian Open crown, the subtle change of performance domination from Azarenka towards Sharapova and Serena – simultaneous, at many times – has never been so obvious. Holders of the top two positions at the women’s singles rankings, they set the perfect stage for the Rome Masters amidst the plethora of other tennis prodigies and talents.

Top Half: First Quarter

Serena Williams’ name heralds this quarter. After winning her 50^th singles title at the Madrid Masters, it is Serena who will be expected to make it to the semi-finals in her section of the draw. Her road ahead however isn’t easy. With a potential second-round encounter drawn against elder sister Venus, who will take on British teen prodigy Laura Robson in her first round, Serena’s road ahead is paved with challenges bearing the names Dominika Cibulkova and Angelique Kerber.

German Kerber, seeded sixth and placed at the bottom of the quarter, will face either Yanina Wickmayer or Kirsten Flipkens in the second round. Her third round could however be a tricky match-up with Nadia Petrova, if the 11^thseeded Russian manages to get through her initial couple of rounds without being upset.

Prediction: Serena Williams vs. Angelique Kerber

Top Half: Second Quarter

The second quarter of the Rome Masters includes the likes of Polish fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska and Chinese fifth seed Li Na. Other contenders include two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, former world no. 1s Caroline Wozniacki and Jelena Jankovic.

Jankovic who will begin her campaign against Bulgarian Tsvetana Pironkova could face 10^th seeded Wozniacki in the second round with a potential third round encounter against Li Na. Radwanska, meanwhile will take on Russian Kuznetsova in the second round with a potential third round against 13^th seed Italian Roberta Vinci.

As straight forward as this quarter seems to be, it’s also one where upsets are most likely. Although Radwanska and Li Na are the top seeds in this quarter, players like Kuznetsova and Vinci could very well alter the expected results from them.

Prediction: Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Li Na

Bottom Half: Third Quarter

Victoria Azarenka’s quarter finds her potentially pitted against German Julia Goerges and former French Open champion Ana Ivanovic. Azarenka who had a miserable outing at Madrid, losing her opening match, will need to refocus so as to try and compensate for her unceremonious dumping at Madrid.

Azarenka’s potential quarter-final opponent Petra Kvitova meanwhile will need to battle against unpredictable German, Sabine Lisicki in the second round and ninth seeded Australian Sam Stosur in her third round. Stosur, whose career clay court appearances have been quite nondescript, will take on unseeded Chinese Taipei player Su-Wei Hsieh in her first round match with either Romanian Monica Niculescu or Chinese Peng Shuai to face against her in the second round.

Prediction: Sabine Lisicki vs. Victoria Azarenka

Bottom Half: Fourth Quarter

Maria Sharapova as the second seed is the biggest highlight of this quarter consisting of last year’s French Open finalist Sara Errani, seeded seventh and 2010 French Open champion Francesca Schiavone. The Russian, who is defending her French Open crown this year, is sure to come through all her initial rounds without much fanfare. Her possible third round match against American youngster Sloane Stephens however promises to be an interesting encounter, especially considering the favourable – and at times, even unfavourable – remarks that have been made by Stephens about her peers.

For Errani, a semi-finalist at the Madrid Masters, her section of the draw leaves her as the favourite to get into the quarter-finals to take on Maria Sharapova. Her quite-likely match against Russian Maria Kirilenko in the third round however promises to be an interesting pre-quarter-final.

Prediction: Sara Errani vs. Maria Sharapova

Possible road ahead in the tournament: In a repeat of the Miami and Madrid finals, the top-two seeds to come face-to-face against each other with Serena Williams routing Maria Sharapova for the third time.