July 24, 2011
In a conference call earlier this week, Maria Sharapova expressed a desire to face Serena Williams during the hard-court season, despite the fact that she has a losing record against the American.
I love playing against her,” Sharapova said. “We’ve had very, very tough matches against each other. I don’t have a great record against her, and I would love to change that. There is no doubt I would love to play her this summer at some point.”
Sharapova may get her wish, perhaps sooner than she expected. Sharapova will be the No. 2 seed at the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford, California. Lurking in her quarter of the draw is Serena Williams, who has fallen out of the top 150 due to her injury plagued season. The two women may face each other in the third round in a dynamic clash between former world No. 1s.
Serena is 6-2 against Sharapova in their head-to-head meetings. Sharapova’s two victories, however, both came in 2004, meaning that Sharapova has not enjoyed a victory over Serena in nearly seven years.
Which version of Serena and Sharapova we seems to be up in the air. Will Serena have worked off the rust by playing in World Team Tennis? Has Sharapova worked on her serve to make it a reliable weapon? The two women are among the best groundstroke hitters in the game, which will no doubt result in a display of amazing shots. If a Serena-Sharapova match-up does occurs, it will most certainly be must see television.
Also highlighting the draw are top ten players Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, Marion Bartoli of France, and Samantha Stosur of Australia. Azarenka is the defending champion and the No. 1 seed. Azarenka defeated Sharapova 6-4, 6-1 in last year’s final
Wimbledon quarterfinalist Sabine Lisicki and 2008 French Open Champion Ana Ivanovic are also major contenders capable of winning in Stanford.
In other news on the WTA tour, world No. 3 Vera Zvonareva will face Ksenia Pervak in an all-Russian final at the Baku Cup on Sunday. The No. 1 seed Zvonareva steamrolled past the competition this past week, dropping only one set during the tournament. Pervak, on the other hand, had to come back from a set down in two different occasions during her tournament run.
Zvonareva won the only match-up she has had against Pervak, defeating her 6-3, 6-2 In Pattaya City in 2010. Zvonareva is heavily favored against Pervak to win her second WTA Tour title on the season, her first coming in Doha earlier this year. Zvonareva is looking to get back on track in order to get back into top form for the hard-court season. Zvonareva has suffered several several early exits on the season, especially in the Grand Slam tournaments. If she gets ousted early, she is in danger of making a significant tumble in the rankings with Azarenka, Sharapova, and Li Na hot on her heels.
Will we see a Sharapova and Serena Williams match-up? If so, who do you think is in a better position to win? Is Zvonareva going to win her second WTA Tour title on the year?
Give us your thoughts below!
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