Tennis: Maria Sharapova Stands Tall in French Open

Defending champion Francesca Schiavone has fought hard to make the semi-finals but it’s another grand slam caliber player that has stolen the spotlight at Roland Garros. Al Dannity previews the prospects for Maria Sharapova and Schiavone as they prepare for their semi-final matches in the French Open.

Return to prominence
Having struggled against Caroline Garcia last week, Maria Sharapova has grown in confidence as the French Open has progressed. Sharapova, who will complete the set of grand slam titles if she wins here, emerged from the carnage that saw seeds fall quickly in the middle rounds to look particularly strong in her last two matches. A gritty performance saw her overcome the challenge of Aga Radwanska, an in-form challenger from Poland. Then in the quarter-finals she flat-out dominated Andrea Petkovic, 6-0 6-3. This was payback for Petkovic’s victory over Sharapova in Australia but now she’s got a big challenge.

Na Li dispatched Victoria Azarenka with ease in her quarter final and won her two most recent encounters with Sharapova. The Chinese star made the final in Australia and won’t be intimidated by the Russian’s power game. In terms of form, these are the two hottest players left in the tournament. The winner should be favorite for the final on Saturday.

I like Sharapova to come out on top, making few errors and thus denying Li opportunities. That said, if Li can rattle the Russian early then she’ll have a strong chance to pull the upset. With that in mind, Tennis betting fans should consider Sports Interaction’s Live Betting for this match.

Schiavone rides her luck
It’s been nearly two years since Francesca Schiavone faced Marion Bartoli and despite the Italian’s dominance in the series, it would be foolish to place much weight in past meetings. The pair have never met on clay and both have developed substantially since their last match at Wimbledon in 2009.

Schiavone, the defending champion, benefitted from Shuai Peng retiring in the third round before surviving three set wars with Jelena Jankovic and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in her last two matches. Bartoli’s path to the final four was somewhat smoother, with Gisele Dulko retiring from their fourth round match before the French woman breezed by Victoria Azarenka. There has been an extra level of toughness in Bartoli’s game than in year’s past but she’s taking on one of the best fighters in the game tomorrow. While lacking the consistency of some of the other top 10 stars, Schiavone brings her best game to Roland Garros. I like the defending champion to return to the final after yet another three set battle.