February 05, 2011
Former World Number One Maria Sharapova plays only her second Fed Cup tie after a series of controversies that came along with her selection at the prestigious event when the action starts at the Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia. The Russian superstar takes on a familiar face in Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano, whom she beat almost a fortnight ago in Melbourne in the pair's second round meeting.
After a nine month injury layoff, Sharapova made a fine recovery and won her first title on return in Tokyo in 2009. More success followed in 2010 when the Russian won titles in Strasbourg and Memphis and also made the finals in Birmingham, Stanford and Cincinnati. This year, Sharapova's gallant run at the Australian Open came to an end when German Andrea Petkovic registered an upset victory over the former champion in the fourth round. Sharapova, however seems to have gained the momentum after a promising 2010 season.
Sharapova's opponent, Frenchwoman Virginie Razzano is ranked 83 in the world but has a calibre of getting the better of some of her finest contemporaries. Razzano has two WTA singles titles and was ranked a career high No.16 in September 2009. Razzano beat Russian Elena Vesnina in the first round of the Australian Open before leading Sharapova in a match that saw blistering groundstrokes from both players.
As mentioned above, this is the pair's second meeting and Sharapova has an edge clearly by the virtue of the way she handled things in the last encounter. Sharapova will put in her best to get a quick initial lead and keep troubles at bay against the dangerous opponent.
TennisEarth.com's Pick - Maria Sharapova in straight sets.
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