Maria Sharapova is looking for a strong hard court season after disappointing results at the French Open and Wimbledon. (Alistair Grant/Associated Press) There will be no repeat winner of the Rogers Cup women's tournament when the final is contested on Aug. 3 at Uniprix Stadium in Montreal.
That much was guaranteed when No. 1 ranked Justine Henin made a surprising retirement announcement in the spring.
Henin's departure has left the women's game in flux.
"We have a bit of a hole, but other people are trying to step in to fill that gap," said Tracy Austin, who will be the analyst when CBC Sports broadcasts the women's semifinals and final on Aug. 2 and Aug. 3.
Ana Ivanovic of Serbia took over the top ranking from Henin after winning the French Open but wore the crown uneasily at Wimbledon, where she was ousted in two rounds.
Fellow Serb Jelena Jankovic threatened to take over Ivanovic's top ranking on the eve of play in Montreal but would assume that perch without having ever appeared in a Grand Slam final.
Venus Williams won Wimbledon, for the fifth time, but is often injured and at 28 may not have enough gas to make a sustained push for the top spot.
Along with Venus, sister Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova were just listed as the three richest women in sport by Forbes Magazine, reflecting the fact that they're celebrities with many endeavours on the go as much as they are full-time tennis players.
Sharapova won in Australia in January but was been sent packing before the fourth round at both the French and Wimbledon while Serena sports an impressive singles record in 2008 but no major wins.
While the Rogers Cup has always been a hard court tune-up for the U.S. Open, this year it also will feature the women playing at the Beijing Olympics.
Here's a look at the contenders at the Rogers Cup women's event, with Austin's thoughts:
Contenders
Ana Ivanovic WTA ranking: 1 Canadian title: 2006
The new tennis darling due to her emergence over the last two years and her telegenic looks, Ivanovic should be motivated after following up her first Grand Slam win at the French Open with an early exit at Wimbledon. Hard courts suit Ivanovic: she has won five of her seven career titles on the surface and she won the Canadian Open the last time it was in Montreal.
Austin: Is she experienced enough to handle the pressure of being No. 1? … To me, she's very, very talented but her best as far as being a complete player is in the future … She still hasn't gotten to that point where week in and week out you can consistently rely on her [playing] top tennis. That match last year [at the Rogers Cup against Ji Yan] was not a really good match at all and she never really tried to go to Plan B or try and change her style.
Jelena Jankovic WTA ranking: 2
Jankovic suffered torn cartilage in her left knee at Wimbledon but worked her way back into form last week at Los Angeles. She was runner-up at the 2007 Rogers Cup, with the margin between her and Henin very fine.
The Serbian has reached at least the round of 16 in the last nine Grand Slam events, with four appearances in the semifinals, but is waiting for the breakthrough into a final.
Austin: She's missing the big serve and that's what the other players have, the Ivanovics, the Sharapovas and the Williams sisters. People will say 'Justine didn't have the big serve', but she had so many other parts of her game that were extremely special.
Can [Jankovic] win a Grand Slam? Yes, there's no doubt … but I wouldn't put her in my favourites category ahead of the other group [mentioned above].
Maria Sharapova WTA ranking: 3
Sharapova appeared on paper to have the easiest Wimbledon draw of the top women, but she crashed out in the second round. If it wasn't for her January win in Australia, her last 12 months would truly be a disappointment, with early exits also at the French and last year's U.S. Open.
Austin: Her serve at Wimbledon was just not on and she relies so much on her serve to get ahead in the point because she's not as good an athlete as some of those other top players, she doesn't move as well. If she's not in control of the point early on and she's the one doing the running, things can difficult for her.
Svetlana Kuznetsova WTA ranking: 4
Kuznetsova will look to better consecutive quarter-final showings at the Canadian tournament event. The Russian won the U.S. Open in 2004 and was a finalist last year, though a big loser to Henin. She has also been battling a knee injury.
Austin: She's just a very, very solid player. Consistently in the top five or six in the last few years and won that Grand Slam but I think it's going to be almost more difficult for her to win the next one. She just comes up short in the Grand Slams against those top players.
Aleksandra Wozniak of Blainville, Que., stunned the field in Stanford, Calif. and became the first Canadian woman in 20 years to win a singles title. (Ben Margot/Associated Press) Elena Dementieva WTA ranking: 6
Dementieva in 2008 has more closely resembled the player who reached the French and U.S. Open finals four years ago. She reached the quarters at this year's French and followed it up with a semifinal appearance at Wimbledon.
Austin: I thought she served better than she had in a while at Wimbledon and the French. She's always one of the best athletes out there, one of the best movers, and so much of it depends on her serve … She chases down so many balls, she's a clean striker of the ball, she hits the ball very hard from the standing position and on the run from the back court, so she's always dangerous.
Canadians
Aleksandra Wozniak WTA ranking: 41
Wozniak stunned tennis observers and maybe even herself in mid-July by becoming the first Canadian since Jill Hetherington in 1988 to win a WTA tour event. Entered as a qualifier, Wozniak beat Sam Stosur, Francesca Schiavone, Serena Williams and Marion Bartoli en route to winning the West Classic in Stanford, Calif. As a result, the Blainville, Que., native rocketed up 40 spots in the rankings.
Austin: I didn’t see her play in Stanford so I'm going to reserve some judgment until [Montreal]. She has big shots. So much with a player like that is getting big wins, where you feel like 'Yes, I can do it' rather than more doubts in your mind. So much is between the ears and not necessarily striking the ball.
Stephanie Dubois WTA ranking: 122
Dubois had three match points against highly ranked Anna Chakvetadze in the first round of Wimbledon but couldn't handle the big moment, bowing out 8-6 in the third set. Has twice strung together three consecutive wins this year and was high as 95th in the rankings, in May.
Austin: Stephanie's a great fighter. I wanted her to have a little bit more punch on her shots, a little more oomph … a little bit more of the feeling that when an opponent does hit short, Stephanie's going to put them in trouble.
Other contenders
There are several other notable names in the singles draw, including Russia's Chakvetadze, 2007 Wimbledon finalist Marion Bartoli, Japanese veteran Ai Sugiyama, Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic and American Ashley Harkleroad, who has made waves by posing nude in the current edition of Playboy.
Teens who have made big strides in the rankings over the past year who will be playing at Montreal are Victoria Azarenka of Belarus and Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia.
