2004 champion Maria Sharapova is ready for a showdown with Czech star Petra Kvitova in the final of the 2011 Championships at Wimbledon, season's third Grand Slam event being played here at the historic All England Lawn Tennis Club in London, England.
In many critics and fellow players' eyes, Maria Sharapova is playing the best tennis of her life. Statistically speaking, the Russian hasn't dropped a set and has been literally unchallenged in all her encounters. Sharapova's run to finals may have been a little surprising for the Russian herself, but the truth is that after a series of final losses in several WTA premier events, French Open semifinal finish was Sharapova's first notable result since her 2008 Aussie Open triumph. In Rome too, Sharapova showed nerves of steel in taming Australian Samantha Stosur in two sets. So where Sharapova's appearance in the final is being considered as a welcome change in guard, with a Williams dominating the championship in the past decade, chances are, the Russian's second win at SW19 will come after no less than a slugfest against the player she considers a real tough nut to crack, simply by the virtue of her being a lefty.Sharapova on Kvitova -
"I expect her to be a really tough opponent. Number one, she's a really good grass court player. She proved that last year by getting to the semifinals. She's also a lefty, which I've said before is very tricky on grass. She uses her serve really well. And she has been playing really good tennis."
Sharapova's opponent, Czech Petra Kvitova's entry into the finals seemed like a natural progression of her fabulous run last year where she lost to Serena Williams in last four. Not many anticipated the Czech lefty to follow up so well in the 2011 edition which, against all odds happened. Again, Kvitova's entry into the final does not surprise me at all, since I already predicted her triumph before the start of the fortnight at AELTC. With three titles and numerous confidence boosting wins over the best players in the world, Kim Clijsters, Vera Zvonareva to name a few, Petra Kvitova, is in no way an underdog, going into this final. Similar confidence showed in her statements post her semifinal win as well, especially when asked about her opponent in the final-
Kvitova on Sharapova -
"Yeah, of course she has experience. She won here already, so she knows how it going in the final at the Wimbledon. She has an advantage with this. But we played already and I lost, so now I have to beat her."
Both players have only contested one match before which took place in Memphis last year with Sharapova winning handily. Where Kvitova has come a long way since then, Sharapova, too has gathered enough pace and self-belief to do well at the Grand Stages in tennis once again. Sharapova has been to four major finals and has wins from three of them in Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006) and Australian Open (2008), with her only loss coming to Serena Williams in the 2007 Aussie Open championship match.Now comes the toughest part of writing the preview- picking a winner. But in my case, just like Kvitova, I am sticking to my guns too. The spectators at SW19 and the fans world over, will witness the coronation of new queen in women's tennis - Petra Kvitova.
TennisEarth.com's Pick - Petra Kvitova in three sets. Read More
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