TENNIS:If Jelena Jankovic has been prowling the women's draw with authority and verve, her opponent in the quarter-finals today, Nicole Vaidisova, has been efficiently moving aside opponents almost without a whisper.
At 18, Vaidisova is the youngest player in the draw and she, Justine Henin (the Hardenne was amputated after her divorce) and Svetlana Kuznetsova are the only ones of the remaining eight not to have dropped a set.
At four hours and 57 minutes, she has also spent less time on court than any of the others.
Granted the German-born Czech did not have to take out a Williams in the third round as Jankovic had to do with Venus but even as a teenager Vaidisova arrives at this point in the competition as an experienced hand.
She reached last year's Roland Garros semi-finals, beating the top-seed Amelie Mauresmo and 11th-seed Venus Williams along the way and reached the semifinal of this year's first Grand Slam in Australia, falling to eventual winner Serena Williams.
Blessed with the sort of serve Maria Sharapova would give her injured right shoulder for, Vaidisova will discover today whether she has the mettle to take that next step up and go beyond the last four in a Grand Slam. But as she came into this week's event with a wrist injury that caused her to pull out of her last three scheduled tournaments, the balance in Paris may fall in favour of the Serb.
The problem Vaidisova faces is that Jankovic is in commanding form. She has won three times this year, including at the Italian Open, and although seeded at four, her highest, she too has never advanced past the semi-final stage of a Grand Slam.
Sharapova, showing just how vulnerable her reconstructed serve was against Patty Schnyder on Monday, meets compatriot Anna Chakvetadze.
Sharapova should be concerned and is playing under medical guidance and cortisone injections. Her groundstrokes and indefatigable spirit kept her alive against Schnyder but the further she goes in this tournament, the drier the well will become. It took over two and a half hours and two match-points against her to shake off Schnyder and ninth-seed Chakvetadze could seize the moment.
The winner of this match will meet either another Serb, Ana Ivanovic, or another Russian, third seed Kuznetsova, whose chances Roger Federer may well have completely exploded by tipping her to win.
Like Jankovic, the 2004 US Open champion and last year's beaten finalist has looked assured and strong and is a quality mover on the clay.
Finally, Henin and Serena Williams dominate this quarter-final round. The Belgian and American have declined to fuel the media attention that has focused on their bitter 2003 match here. Nor have the two players spoken about the match in the intervening years. The scene is set for a war of wills. Henin will slice and volley, when she can, and labour back court for as long as necessary, while Williams will put all of her considerable strength on every shot, especially serve.
