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When Serena Williams lost in the second round of the French Open, Maria Sharapova was probably jumping for joy. She hasn’t beaten Serena in over 10 years and they were destined to meet in the quarterfinals. Williams is the only person that has beaten her on the clay since 2012. With a major obstacle out of the way, many are saying this is Sharapova’s match to win or lose.
Early in her career, she didn’t like the clay and was even quoted saying, “I feel like a cow on ice”. Now, her winning percentage on clay is .835, which is first among active players. Once she learned how to move on the surface and got into better shape, she became a lot more successful. Clay allows her enough time to set up for her powerful shots. Also, there has not been a clay court specialist with enough fire power since Justine Henin, who retired in 2011. This allows players like Sharapova to keep her aggressive game on this surface and win.
The Final between Sharapova and Simona Halep seems like a no-brainer. Sharapova is in her ninth major final and looking for her fifth grand slam victory; the 2012 French Open being her most recent title. Compare these accolades to Halep, who is in her first major final. She made a huge leap in the rankings last year, rising from 47 to 11. Now she is at a career high number 4 in the world and has seven titles to her name. Sharapova is 3-0 lifetime against Halep, beating her in the Madrid Open a month ago.
This match will not be a blowout and Sharapova will have to work hard for a victory tomorrow in Paris. Mainly because she has not been playing her best tennis. She was on the ropes against Sam Stosur, Sabine Muguruza, who beat Serena, and Eugenie Bouchard. Her matches were error-filled and it was her tenacity that got her through, not necessarily her tennis play. Halep has not dropped a set yet and is playing very confidently. She also took the first set from Maria, 6-1 in Madrid before falling in three. She has learned from this experience and if she can keep her nerves under control, there is no reason why she can’t give Maria Sharapova another tough battle.
