Shahar Peer Tries To Become First Israeli Winner At French Open
There are a few players in the upcoming French Open that we should definitely look out for. Players like Shahar Peer are on the heels of the high profile players just waiting for even the slightest opportunity to steal a match or two from the tournament front runners. They are the kinds of players that can become dangerous to the top seeds if they are not careful.
Shahar Peer reached the semifinals of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany and lost to the comeback-ing Justine Henin. Despite losing, Shahar’s semi-final finish is quite impressive considering she had to beat second seed Dinara Safina and compete against Justine Henin in the semis. It was just unfortunate that Shahar Peer had to meet against Justine Henin has become so unstoppable in the clay courts and who is expected to take the French Open crown for herself.
Apart from the semi-final finish in the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix, Shahar Peer also reached the semi-finals of the Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open this year and lost to Venus Williams; she has also lost to Venus in the Italian Open, a tournament held before the Madrid Open. Venus Williams went on to win the Madrid Open when she beat Frenchwoman Arevane Rezai. Shahar Peer has met Venus Williams five separate times and has lost to her in all five occasions.
Shahar, in a recent interview, admits that Venus is sort of the thorn on her side. She just can’t seem to find a way to beat her. According to her, she always gets into trouble with Venus because she dominates the competition from the very start of the match. She also admits that she was struggling with her serve and that the American was just too powerful for her. For now, it is important for Shahar Peer to find a solution to her Venus Williams problem come May 23rd when the French Open begins.
In a recent interview, Williams said that Peer is a tenacious player. She also said that she is really talented and that she has a never-die-spirit. She attributed her win to the fact that she was just able to find corners in her game that she could take advantage and win against Shahar Peer. Shahar Peer has also met the Williams sisters in the doubles tournament. And suffice it to say, she is having the exact problem she is having in the doubles tournament. She and her doubles partner Francesca Schiavone lost to the sisters 7-5, 6-2. Despite her losses to the Williams sisters, Shahar Peer is expected to gain momentum that will help her climb the world rankings and reach the 18th rank in the world.
Overall, Shahar Peer is doing an excellent job in her clay-court season. She has finished well in the tournaments, exiting only in the latter parts of the competition. Her only problem with the upcoming French Open is that she has yet to overcome the tournament favorites in preparation for the French Open. She has lost to Justine Henin, the clear favorite and has met Venus Williams several times, and lost to her in all occasions.
As long as Shahar Peer does not encounter the high profile favorites in the early rounds of the tournament, she will be able to last the tournament until the semi-final round. It will be inevitable that Shahar Peer will have face the high profile players, but if she wants to last long in the tournament, she must avoid playing against the likes of Venus and Justine in the earlier rounds of the French Open.
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