FIVE STARS

Rafael Nadal: The clay is Nadal's favourite surface as most of us have witnessed over the past four years. Once again he is again playing as if he could be unstoppable for a fourth consecutive year. The closest rivals to upend him are Novak Djokovic in the semis and Roger Federer in the finals, but they'll have to mount quite the challenge. The deeds to Roland Garros seems safely in Nadal's hands, just as long as he can handle the nagging blisters that bothered him at Rome (losing to Juan Carlos Ferrero) and recurred in the past two rounds at the French Open. Up to this point, no one has mounted any kind of a challenge against the Spaniard.

Svetlana Kuznetsova: Nobody has yet to focus on the 2004 US Open champion, but that could be a big mistake. The Russian is showing great form and should be considered a major threat for the title if her somewhat shaky mind can stay focused. Kuznetsova has never won a title on clay and it would be just like her to do so at the grandest of clay-court events.

'The Russian is showing great form and should be considered a major threat for the title if her somewhat shaky mind can stay focused'


FOUR STARS

Ana Ivanovic: Ivanovic is improving after each game while the possibIlity of seeing her in a second consecutive final at Roland Garros is growing. The worry with Ivanovic is despite an impressive double-bagel in the fourth round, she didn't show much muscle in her two opportunities to contend for a Grand Slam title. She was way out of her league against Justine Henin in the 2007 final and surrendered to Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final this year. Ivanovic needs to be mindful of the three-strikes-and-you're-out theory if she goes to the final again this year.

Roger Federer: Federer has struggled on the French clay until yesterday. He's had difficulties in creating a masterpiece like he can on grass and hard courts. On Saturday, the Swiss has looked resolute in his quest for the elusive title with his best performance of the season against Croatia's Mario Ancic. Expect Federer to show in the Final next weekend

Novak Djokovic: Djokovic could've written the manual on building a career from the bottom up. His steady progression to the top three has been picture-perfect, capped earlier in the year by his first major title at the Australian Open. He's gritty and quite the showman all in one package. Djokovic, despite a stellar season, has fallen under the radar at Roland Garros as most anticipate another Federer-Nadal final. But the Serb has a game rife with confidence and up to this point has been stellar, including an impressive win on Sunday versus No.18-seeded Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu.

David Ferrer: Can't argue with the fifth-seeded Ferrer's mettle after a gutsy performance in the third round versus Lleyton Hewitt, coming back to win after being down two sets to one. Ferrer is unassailably one of the schooled clay-court players few look forward to facing. However, next up is blazing Radek Stepanek - aka the chap who stunned Federer in Rome. One must wonder if the diminutive Spaniard is fully recovered from his previous bout.

THREE STARS

Maria Sharapova: Sharapova actually came close to a four-star rating because of the effort she has displayed. However, clay is not her preferred playground, but she is seriously working her way into the draw. Her second set against Karin Knapp in the last round was a four-star performance and she needs to ride that momentum. However, Sharapova will have big problems against Dinara Safina if she is not serving well. With winds howling in her first-round encounter, Sharapova had a preposterous number of unforced errors - 68 to be exact - but pulled it together, winning 8-6 in the third.

Jelena Jankovic: Jankovic feels quite at home on the clay, which was evident in 2007, when she reached the semi-finals. She hasn't dropped a set in four matches played, but there hasn't been a match in which she hasn't struggled, either. It's time for the talented and feisty Jankovic to step up and put herself in position to win at a major. If Jankovic can circumvent her myriad ailments and stay fit, who knows what will happen? It's just not healthy to be considered a contender and not one day turn up a champion.

TWO STARS

Nikolay Davydenko: After a breakthrough in Miami, winning the prestigious Sony Ericsson Open, Davydenko seemed primed for a deep run at the French. But in what appeared to be another mundane day at the office was anything but, when the fourth-seeded Russian squandered a two-set lead to Ivan Ljubicic, losing in the third round. Prior to the loss, Davydenko had pulled together an impressive run, vanquishing 2002 Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson and two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin in the first two rounds. Davydenko had reached at least the quarter-finals in each of the past three years at Roland Garros.

ONE STAR

Serena Williams: She barely deserves one star, but anyone who shows up gets on the map. There's still a lot of head scratching going on as to how an eight-time Grand Slam champion could have played such a listless match against Katarina Srebotnik in the third round. If you hear people saying, "I could've played better," they're probably right. Williams went from diva to damsel in distress in Paris, an outcome that will likely weigh heavy on her trip to Wimbledon.