By Richard Pagliaro | Tuesday, April 11, 2017
"(I try) to understand what the opponent really doesn't like, what she likes, how better to play, the weather conditions, and from this I am building my game," Daria Kasatkina on her cerebral style of play.
Photo credit: Christopher Levy
Clay-court exchanges can be a skillful negotiation of angle, spin and slide.
Lately, the declarative first strike has had the last word at Roland Garros.
Watch: Top 5 Women Without A Slam Title
A powerful trio of aggressive baseliners—23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams, reigning champion Garbine Muguruza and two-time champion Maria Sharapova—have combined to claim the last five Roland Garros crowns.
As the European spring clay-court season gets underway, we’re highlighting dirt dark horses of varied styles with a common connection.
These are our picks for five women ranked outside the Top 20 capable of doing damage on dirt this spring.
No. 29 Daria Kasatkina
2017 record: 12-8
Clay Credentials: The 2014 Roland Garros girls’ champion won her first WTA singles title on the har-tru of Charleston on Sunday.
Best Roland Garros Result: Third round, 2016.
Ad-In Three months into the season, Kastakina already has a pair of wins over No. 1 Angelique Kerber and showed her resilience snapping a four-match losing streak capturing her first career WTA singles title in Charleston.
A smooth mover, who strikes on balance, Kasatkina is skilled changing direction and driving the ball down the line, she uses her kick serve wide on the ad side to effectively set up her first strike and is a shrewd player who understands how to open the court, manage the match and shift tactics.
Kasatkina says her thoughtful game was born of necessity: As one of the younger, slighter players when she turned pro she learned to think her way through matches.
“I was just playing with the brain. Because I didn't have so much power, I was running, trying to spin the ball, move the opponent, and that's it,” Kasatkina said of her younger years. “I didn't have so good fitness. So I was trying to beat the opponents only with the brain.”
Ad-Out The 19-year-old Russian must get stronger, particularly given she is second on the WTA in most three-setters played this season, winning nine of her 15 matches that have gone the distance. Kasatkina can be hard on herself when things aren’t going right and has been vulnerable to being overpowered by harder hitters on faster surfaces this season.
No. 22 Timea Bacsinszky
2017 record: 7-3
Clay Credentials: During the last two years, the Swiss has scored clay-court wins over Venus Williams, Karolina Pliskova, Carla Suarez Navarro, Madison Keys and Petra Kvitova.
Best Roland Garros Result: Semifinals, 2015.
Ad-In A shrewd player, Bacsinszky understands how to displace opponents with sharp angles and drag them into awkward positions on court. The Swiss has peaked in Paris reaching the quarterfinals last year following a semifinal run in 2015.Partnering Martina Hingis to the Olympic silver medal in doubles last year gave Bacsinsky insight into strengthening her transition and net game.
Ad-Out Left wrist tendonitis forced Bacsinszky out of last month's Miami Open, which leaves her short on match play at the start of the clay season. When stretched, her forehand can sometimes land short in the court.
No. 28 Lucie Safarova
2017 record: 18-8
Clay Credentials: The former French Open finalist stopped Karolina Pliskova and 2010 French Open finalist Samantha Stosur in succession to capture the 2016 Prague title on clay.
Best Roland Garros Result: Singles finalist and doubles champion in 2015.
Ad-In When she’s landing her slice serve with vigor, Safarova can stifle even elite opponents. She defeated four Top 20 players in succession—Sabine Lisicki, Maria Sharapova, Garbine Muguruza and Ana Ivanovic—en route to the 2015 French Open final, pushing eventual-champion Serena Williams to three sets. Safarova is second to Karolina Pliskova in the WTA's ace race with 161 aces.
One of the world’s premier doubles player, Safarova partnered Bethanie Mattek-Sands to win the Australian Open and Charleston championships this year. She’s won more than 30 matches—singles and doubles combined---already this season and when Safarova is playing consistent doubles her serve, return and transition game are often sharper in singles.
Ad-Out Battling injuries in recent years, Safarova has not defeated a Top 10 player on dirt since her run to the Roland Garros final two years ago. The 30-year-old celebrates her 15th season as a pro player striking the ball beautifully, but she can be coaxed into errors when dragged from the center of the court.
No. 23 Carla Suárez Navarro
2017 record: 4-5
Clay Credentials: The 2015 Rome runner-up defeated former French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to win her long clay-court title at the 2014 Oeiras.
Best Roland Garros Result: Quarterfinals, 2008 and 22014.
Ad-In Fine footwork, heavy topspin and a feel for the terre battue make the Spaniard a serious threat when she’s healthy and confident. The daughter of a gymnast, Suarez Navarro is a creative improvisor. The former world No. 6 is also a skilled doubles player who can close at net.
Ad-Out The Suárez Navarro second serve can be attacked. Her versatile one-handed backhand is her signature shot and one she’s most comfortable predictably playing crosscourt. Standing 5-foot-4, she can be vulnerable to heavy topspin and to players who can stretch her into the corner and exploit a somewhat limited reach.
Maria Sharapova
2017 record: Did not play.
Clay Credentials: Nine of Sharapova’s last 13 titles have come on clay and she’s reached the semifinals or better in four of her last five French Open appearances.
Best Roland Garros Result: Champion, 2012 and 2014.
Ad-In Wild cards into Stuttgart, Madrid and Rome give Sharapova a shot to make an immediate impact on her best surface in recent years. Launching her comeback from a 15-month doping ban in Stuttgart should serve as ideal preparation for Sharapova, a three-time Stuttgart champion whose sponsor, Porsche, is also the tournament title sponsor. Sharapova, who celebrates her 30th birthday on April 19th, is well-versed in the art of the comeback having bounced back strong from shoulder and leg injuries in the past. In training video, she looks fit and eager bringing her traditional sting to her searing flat shots.
One of the sport's fiercest fighters, Sharapova could physically benefit from the break in that it gave her time to rest and recovery from injury and fine-tune some elements of her game.
Ad-Out As a wild card, the five-time Grand Slam champion could face high seeds, demanding draws and rivals eager to enact revenge in her return. A World TeamTennis exhibition and an exo match against Olympic gold-medal champion Monica Puig in Puerto Rico last December are Sharapova’s lone on-court appearances and it may well take some time for her to adjust to tournament play.
Prior to her suspension, Sharapova owned one of the best three-set records in the sport. Will she show the same stamina without meldonium, the drug she took for nearly a decade before her positive test at the 2016 Australian Open. What type of reception will Sharapova receive from players and fans?
Several players, including Dominika Cibulkova, Kristina Mladenovic, Caroline Wozniacki and Samantha Stosur have been critical either of the former No. 1's aloof disposition or the fact tournaments have awarded her wild cards following her doping ban. Will Sharapova encounter draining fights from players supremely motivated to knock her out?