It's a Sharapova-Kvitova Wimbledon Final
I was thinking back to 2004 as I watched Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon semifinals today. She was 17 years old, with a natural grace and sense of confidence, and she was astoundingly well-versed in English. Watching her on the outside courts during her early matches, it wasn't difficult to forecast a champion in the making. Then she went out on Wimbledon's final Saturday and beat Serena Williams for her first major title.
Now, seven years later, she's back in the final after a 6-4, 6-3 victory over Sabine Lisicki. The German got off to a 3-0 start, largely because Sharapova was serving so poorly (13 double-faults for the day), but this was her first Grand Slam final and I don't feel she was emotionally prepared for the occasion, especially with the formidable Sharapova on the other side of the net.
Major credit to Lisicki for getting this far, after being such an emotional mess just last month in the French Open. Her first-serve velocity readings were only slightly less than Roger Federer's during his quarterfinal loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. She pounded her groundstrokes and showed remarkable touch. But she couldn't get her drop shot to work consistently against Sharapova, thus losing a potentially reliable weapon.
I think Sharapova is going to lose Saturday's final to Petra Kvitova, who outlasted Victoria Azarenka today, 6-1, 3-6, 6-2. Nothing against Sharapova, probably the biggest fighter on tour, but she can't keep serving like this and win a major. Not even the one she cherishes above all others. Kvitova is a special player, a clear-headed lefty who absolutely crushes the ball and serves huge when she's on. There won't be a lot of variety in this match. Just two players hitting out for all they're worth. It will be a terrific outcome either way, and let's hope it's a solid, three-set conflict.
| June 30 2011 at 10:34 AM
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