June 02, 2011
After emulating her best performance on the red clay of Roland Garros, Maria Sharapova is ready to go a few steps further and standing in her way at the moment is the Chinese wonder woman Na Li. Who will have an edge in this scintillating semifinal? Read here.
World No.7 Maria Sharapova takes on World No.6 Na Li for a place in the final of the 2011 French Open, season's second Grand Slam being played here at Roland Garros in Paris, France.
Sharapova's title victory in Rome not only came as a pleasant surprise, it also proved that this Russian superstar can perform well on her least favourite surface- clay. Sharapova's road to semifinals has been very shaky with little known opponents pushing her over the edge before bowing down to the Russian's experience and power play. Sharapova is standing on the verge of history as she attempts to be only the tenth woman in the history of sport to achieve a career Grand Slam. The last woman to do so was Serena Williams who achieved the feat in 2003 by winning the Australian Open.
Sharapova's opponent, Na Li has recently become a big name in the Grand Slam arena. After reaching the final in Melbourne at the Austalian Open, Na Li somehow lost track and with it, her game to suffer early exits from various big tournaments before finally finding her ground in Paris. Na Li's appearance in the semifinals can also be credited to a favourable draw, which helped her face her first big test in Czech Petra Kvitova in the fourth round, whom she defeated after losing the first set. However, the way she drubbed Victoria Azarenka in the quarterfinals has made her an extremely strong contender for the crown now. Na Li is attempting to have a little slice of history as well as a win at Roland Garros will make her the only Asian woman to win a grand Slam singles title.
Both players have contested seven matches before and Sharapova has an impressive 5-2 lead in the head-to-head. However, it's Li Na, who has scored wins in the pair's previous two meetings in 2009 and 2010 on grass at Birmingham.
On paper, it's a 50-50 chance for both players since both are in fabulous form this fortnight. Sharapova, who claimed a win in Rome recently does have a slight edge by the virtue of her ferocious play and experience at Grand Stages in tennis.
Resources : http://www.tennisearth.com/
|
Subscribe
