Serena Williams has been dominant throughout her Roland Garros campaign, overwhelming opponents with sheer talent and brute strength. Now with just a win away from claiming her first French Open title in 11 years, all Williams needs to do is to topple the woman whom she defeated in all three finals showdowns this year.
Sounds easy? Think again, because Maria Sharapova could pull off something out of nowhere.
As expected since the beginning of the tournament, Williams and Sharapova survived five rounds of exhausting tennis to advance to the championship game of the 2013 French Open.
Sharapova, the defending Roland Garros champion, easily cruised through her first four assignments before eking out two tough wins against Jelena Jankovic 0-6 6-4 6-3 in the quarterfinals and former world's no.1 Victoria Azarenka 6-1 2-6 6-4 in an action-packed semis clash.
Williams, meanwhile, barely broke a sweat in the first four rounds before she was pushed to the limit by former French Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-1 3-6 6-3. In the semifinal round, Williams easily dispatched last year's runner-up Sara Errani 6-0 6-1 to book her second-ever finals appearance at Roland Garros.
Serena has been toying with Sharapova for quite some time now, racking up 12 straight victories against the Russian along with racking up a 13-2 head-to-head record against her.
Williams is without a doubt the heavy favorite to add another French Open title to her growing collection of Grand Slam trophies, but counting Sharapova out of contention won't be a wise decision.
Over the years, Sharapova has improved her clay-court game dramatically as she evolved into a regular face in the finals of clay-court tournaments - particularly at Roland Garros, where she made it in her second straight finals appearance.
Williams' last victory over Sharapova took place in the final of the Madrid Open, beating her long-time rival 6-1, 6-4 to win her second consecutive title in the tournament.
Yet, anything could happen on the red clay of Court Philippe Chatrier on Friday.
NBC will telecast the women's singles final at 9 a.m ET.
Live Stream (Radio)
Live stream coverage can be seen by clicking here.
Schedule
For the full schedule of Men's Singles Quarterfinal of the Roland Garros (Monday) click here.
Live Score
Live scores could be followed by clicking here.
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