Maria Sharapova has been a dominating force in the claycourt season for the past two years. In 2012, she won three claycourt titles, including the French Open and it would have been a blemish-free road to claycourt dominance, if not for a certain Serena Williams. During that time, her only loss on clay was against the top-ranked American in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.
This year, the pair will meet again at the same tournament, this time in the final and back on red courts.
It does show on paper that Sharapova’s major roadblock the past few years has been Williams. The Russian has not won a match against Williams since the 2004 WTA Championships and she lags behind in their head-to-head series record at 2-12.
“It’s always tough against her,” Sharapova said. “I haven’t had a win against her in a long time, but the great thing is that I’m really setting myself up in a position where I can try to change that around.
“I thought I really well against her in Miami for the first set and a half – obviously that’s not enough, but the goal is to keep that level for the whole match this time and open up my chances, take my opportunities. It’s been a while since we played on a clay court, too, and every match is different.”
Sharapova is contesting her 50th final. She has compiled a 29-20 record in final. A victory on Sunday at the Madrid Open will elevate her ranking back to world number one.
