Defending Wimbledon Champ Venus Williams Faces Tough Road
June 27, 2006 — -- While the French Open is normally a crap shoot, where seedings mean less on clay, it's a different story at Wimbledon. The No. 1 seed at the All England Club has reached the final in each of the previous four years.
Not surprisingly, Amelie Mauresmo is the No. 1 overall seed for the first time in her Wimbledon career. She has reached the semifinals in her last three appearances, but has failed to go any further. Mauresmo opens up her campaign this year versus Croatian qualifier Ivana Abramovic. The Frenchwoman, coming off her first Grand Slam title earlier this year in Australia, has a potential fourth-round matchup versus talented Russian and No. 14 seed Dinara Safina. She could then encounter defending champion Venus Williams in the quarterfinals.
Like Mauresmo, Williams plays her first-round match against a qualifier. Her opponent will be fellow American Bethanie Mattek, who has an 0-6 career Grand Slam record. Williams, a three-time champion at Wimbledon, conceivably could play 2004 French Open champion and No. 9 seeded Anastasia Myskina in the fourth round.
Williams, who last year defeated Lindsay Davenport in a dramatic three-set final, is looking to capture back-to-back titles at the grounds of Wimbledon for the second time in her career. Her impeccable 42-6 overall record at the All England Club includes five finals appearances along with her three titles. She was bumped up to the No.6 seed, several rungs higher than her current No. 12 world ranking.
2004 champion Maria Sharapova, whose lone Grand Slam title came at Wimbledon, faces veteran Anna Smashnova in her opening-round match. They have faced each other just once in their careers, with the Russian Sharapova winning in Miami two years ago. Smashnova has played at the season's third Grand Slam event 11 times in her career, but has advanced past the first round just twice.
Sharapova, 19, has a 15-2 career record at the All England Club. Last year, she reached the semifinals before being upset by Venus Williams, ending her 22-match win streak on grass. This season, she lost in a Wimbledon tune-up to Jamea Jackson in the fourth round at Birmingham.
