The fragile joints of Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova are attracting as much interest as the possibility, some would say probability, of the Williams sisters occupying centre stage at the end of two weeks of intriguing women's singles action at Roland Garros.
It is easy to overlook the fact that Ivanovic is the defending French Open champion and that Sharapova won the last of her three grand slam titles in the preceding Australian Open last year.
The two glamorous box office attractions have endured a frustrating time since their major triumphs and it will be intriguing to see how much of a career rebuilding job they can carry out over the next couple of weeks.
Ivanovic, 21, withdrew from the build-up tournament in Madrid earlier this month because of the knee injury she aggravated in a recent Federation Cup win over Spain but the popular Serbian insists she is ready to make a strong defence of her crown.
Seeded eight, she is in the quarter of the 128-woman draw occupied by world No 1 Dinara Safina, who is yet to win a grand slam and begins her campaign fending off insults about her worthiness to occupy the No 1 ranking. Safina would welcome a quarter-final against Ivanovic that would provide her with a chance to avenge her defeat in last year's final.
Sharapova, beaten by Safina at the last 16 stage here a year ago, made a welcome return to action last week in Warsaw after nearly 10 months on the sidelines recovering from a damaged shoulder. She moved on tentatively to Paris not knowing what to expect from her body during the demanding Roland Garros programme.
Sharapova will not strike as much fear into her opponents as she did in her heyday if the observations of last week's Warsaw conqueror Alona Bondarenko are to be believed.
"In the past she played without mistakes, and right now she plays with lots of mistakes," said the Ukrainian who had lost in two previous meetings with Sharapova. "Her serve isn't as powerful as before."
It would be no great surprise, then, if the rehabilitating Sharapova fell by the wayside as early as she did a year ago, although she has been favoured by a draw which puts her in a fairly moderate section occupied by her seeded Russian compatriots Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Petrova.
Standing at the top of that quarter is Venus Williams, who will be pleased that she has avoided her sister Serena this time.
The prospect of a 21st episode in the series of family rivalry - they are currently even at 10 wins each - looms large if the American pair can focus their minds properly on the task ahead.
Only one of those previous meetings has been on the clay of Roland Garros - the 2002 final which Serena won in straight sets. If they were to fight out a second final here on Saturday week, Serena would be a clear favourite.
Serena is at her most vulnerable in the early rounds, so those hoping to see the back of her will be looking for a second round upset from Nicole Vaidisova.
The principal beneficiaries of an early Serena departure would be Jelena Jankovic, the former world No 1, and Elena Dementieva, the Russian who continues to over-achieve in the world rankings. They are due to meet in the quarter-finals for the right to meet Serena in the semis - if the seedings work out as planned.
wjohnson@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
UFC%20FIGHT%20NIGHT%3A%20SAUDI%20ARABIA%20RESULTS
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
The five pillars of Islam
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
Company%20profile
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WORLD CUP FINAL
England v South Africa
Yokohama International Stadium, Tokyo
Saturday, kick-off 1pm (UAE)
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Four%20scenarios%20for%20Ukraine%20war
%3Cp%3E1.%20Protracted%20but%20less%20intense%20war%20(60%25%20likelihood)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E2.%20Negotiated%20end%20to%20the%20conflict%20(30%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E3.%20Russia%20seizes%20more%20territory%20(20%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E4.%20Ukraine%20pushes%20Russia%20back%20(10%25)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3EForecast%20by%20Economist%20Intelligence%20Unit%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Conservative MPs who have publicly revealed sending letters of no confidence
- Steve Baker
- Peter Bone
- Ben Bradley
- Andrew Bridgen
- Maria Caulfield
- Simon Clarke
- Philip Davies
- Nadine Dorries
- James Duddridge
- Mark Francois
- Chris Green
- Adam Holloway
- Andrea Jenkyns
- Anne-Marie Morris
- Sheryll Murray
- Jacob Rees-Mogg
- Laurence Robertson
- Lee Rowley
- Henry Smith
- Martin Vickers
- John Whittingdale
Company%20Profile
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The specs: Lamborghini Aventador SVJ
Price, base: Dh1,731,672
Engine: 6.5-litre V12
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 770hp @ 8,500rpm
Torque: 720Nm @ 6,750rpm
Fuel economy: 19.6L / 100km
FULL%20RESULTS
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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