Known as one of the beauties of tennis, Daniela Hantuchová had been on a slump prior to the French Open tournament.
From as high as No.5, the Slovak plummeted in the world rankings terribly due to lethargic performances in the past months.
Now, the Slovak is showing revival in her game and is willing to build more points in the Wimbledon Open.
Solid Roland Garros Outing
Fourth-seeded Jelena Jankovic denounced Hantuchova’s challenge when she won over the Slovakian 6-4 6-2. Daniela Hantuchova’s bid for the Roland Garros quarterfinals fizzled as Jankovic dominated.
Slovakia’s Hantuchova only managed to get one break point from the match and unfortunately she wasn’t to convert it to push for an advantage.
From then, Jankovic moved smoothly over to her win. The Serb went past Hantuchova incurring a 5-4 lead.
Jankovic also took her service game during the initial set. Jankovic claimed the first and third games of the second set and Hantuchova was faced with a 4-0 deficit.
Hantuchova gained one match point at 5-2 when she delivered the service. However, Jankovic came back with her own serve to conclude the match.
Hantuchova committed more unforced errors as opposed to Jankovic, 16-8. Jankovic records a flawless 4-0 match against Groth. She has a 2-1 advantage against Shvedova.
Jankovic’s quarterfinals bid will likely match her up with Shvedova. She previously lost to Shvedova in second round of the 2009 US open following two tie breaks and a three-set match.
Despite Hantuchova’s loss to Jankovic, it is pretty evident that the player has been trying to improve her game. Her performance in previous matches and her current loss with Jankovic doesn’t seem to faze Hantuchova.
An analysis of her play will certainly point out Hantuchova’s chances of revival.
Hantuchová is considered as one of those players with an aggressive all-around play. Her long fluid strokes and powerful force has been comparative effortless for the player.
The Road On Her Way To The Top
She has several strengths to boast of, enough to denounce any doubt that she can make a comeback after her loss with Jankovic.
She has a strong forehand, backhand and a formidable serve. Hantuchova can also return volleys with just the slightest of touch.
However, for Hantuchova to completely work on her revival, she would have to work on her cross court movements.
Though her movements have improved, it would do Hantuchova best to invest more. Fortunately, Hantuchova has an improved mental resilience which proved disadvantageous to he previous Wimbledon and French Open matches.
Hantuchová's chance of another success is high considering that she has a very good serve. She is able to control different aspects such as spin, placement and speed at varying degrees.
Hantuchova has worked hard on addressing her abbreviated motions though it was quite affected when she had an injury back in 2008. While the clay courts may not have been her strongest area, Hantuchova is set to improve her play and match up with other contenders.
The French Open is a hard court to play. Given other court conditions, it is sufficient to say that Hantuchova has provided the spectators of the French Open something to watch out for in the future.
Hantuchova has the all the right facilities for both her backhand and forehand and she can easily gain points given that she work on setting them up. The clay courts have always been an unpredicted venue. Even top seeds fall out surprisingly.
As Hantuchova accepts her loss and hands her post to Jankovic, she is keen to face the next challenge to come her way. She has gone as far into the Roland Garros and definitely the experience has not been wasted.
Next Test –Wimbledon Open
Hantuchuva will be playing in the Wimbledon Open championship with the hopes of surpassing her quarterfinal appearance in 2002.
The 27-year old Slovak said she trains hard and expects to reach deeper in the tournament.
Ranked No.25 in the world, Hantuchova will face Vania King in the first round and might play former Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova in the third round.
In Hantuchuva’s case, she should strike while the iron is hot.
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