Venus Williams - 2012 Olympics spot under threat by Lepchenko, Stephens

Who would have thought about it? Prior to the start of the French Open 2012, Venus Williams was clearly in the running for a spot in the 2012 US Olympics women's tennis team. She was ranked world no. 53, and was the third highest American in the rankings behind sister Serena (no. 5) and Christina McHale (no. 36). When Venus came back to the WTA tour after being diagnosed with Sjogren’s disease last year, she was ranked outside the top 100, but she made clear that her goal was to qualify for the US Olympic team. Eligibility to play in the 2012 London Olympics means you have to be ranked inside the top 60, and within the top four American women in the rankings, by June 11.

In an interview after her loss in the second round to world no. 3 Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, Venus said, "This tournament for me was all about getting to the Olympics. If that happens for me, I think the chances are good, then I come out a victor." Venus won two Olympic gold medals in the 2000 Sydney Olympics - in singles and doubles - and added a third gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics teaming up with sister Serena to win the doubles crown. As of this writing, Venus' spot in the US team is under threat by Varvara Lepchenko and Sloane Stephens. Both players have exceeded their career best performances in a Grand Slam by reaching the 4th round of Roland-Garros 2012. Here were the top ranked Americans prior to the start of the French Open:

1. Williams, Serena 5695
2. Mchale, Christina 1611
3. Williams, Venus 1175
4. King, Vania 1147
5. Lepchenko, Varvara 1029
6. Stephens, Sloane 928

Taking into consideration the French Open results to date, here are the current standings:

1. Williams, Serena 5690
2. Mchale, Christina 1675
3. Williams, Venus 1275
4. Lepchenko, Varvara 1209
5. Stephens, Sloane 1115
6. King, Vania 1087

One more win for Lepchenko and Stephens will mean they reach the quarterfinals of the French Open 2012 and earn at least 500 ranking points. When that happens, Lepchenko will have a total of 1429 while Sloans will have 1335. Those numbers will enable both players to overtake Venus and occupy the third and fourth spots in the US team. What are the prospects of both players winning their next matches? Stephens is up against world no. 6 and US Open champion Samantha Stosur. Lepchenko on the other hand, is up against world no. 4 and Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova.