June 01, 2011
In a blockbuster quarterfinal duel of the 2011 French Open, former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova of Russia will take on surging WTA star Andrea Petkovic. Well, the fifteenth ranked Petkovic is playing in her second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal, while Maria Sharapova will be playing in the quarterfinals of a Major, first time in two years. There is a lot to play for these two highly talented contenders and we can expect an enthralling contest.
Bidding not only for her maiden Roland Garros title but for a career-slam also, former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova has been looking in fine form to clinch this year’s Roland Garros title. Well, the seventh seed Maria Sharapova did struggle in her last match, but showed that typical intent and fighting qualities, which took her to the pinnacle of women’s tennis – at one stage of her career. After languishing on the edge with some career threatening injuries, the Russian powerhouse of tennis is back in the business and now three victories away from winning the 2011 French Open. But, now she will take on surging WTA star Andrea Petkovic, who has been knocking on the door to have her share of glory and has it all to spoil her plans. She has the potential and has proved it many times by beating some of the best players on tour. Well, Petkovic earlier garnered all the attention by making it to the quarterfinal in the Aussie Open. Thus, this is a second consecutive Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance for Petkovic.
Petkovic has emerged as one of the favourites to clinch the title this year. She has a very good 30-9 win-loss record this year with a WTA title in her kitty. After her heroics at the Aussie Open, earlier this year, Petkovic also contributed heavily in winning the 2011 Fed Cup for her country and now she has been progressing nicely at the Roland Garros. In her last match, Petkovic rallied past Maria Kirilenko of Russia with a 6-2 2-6 6-4 scoreline. Similarly, the seventh seed Sharapova recovered from 4-1 down in the first set and fought off five set points in the second to win with a 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 scoreline, in a tremendous battle against Polish No.12 seed Agnieszka Radwanska.
Sharapova won 23rd WTA title of her career in Rome, a few days ago and sent a strong message to her rivals that she is back into business. In fact, Sharapvoa has improved a lot from last season and rebounded nicely into Top 10 of the world. The Russian can complete her career slam by winning the French Open this year. In head-to-head, Sharapova leads with a 2-1 against the German. Last time they met earlier this year in Miami, where Sharapova beat the German in three sets.
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