Sharapova faces tough final task in Williams

Maria Sharapova will have to end a nine-year losing streak against Serena Williams if she is to take home a second successive French Open title.
Maria SharapovaMaria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova

The world’s top two players reached the final in contrasting fashion yesterday, with Sharapova battling for two hours and 10 minutes to see off Victoria Azarenka 6-1 2-6 6-4.

Williams, meanwhile, routed last year’s runner-up Sara 
Errani 6-0 6-1 in only 46 minutes to reach her first final at Roland Garros since she won her only title in 2002.

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With an obvious difference in power between the two, there was always a concern it could be a horribly one-sided match, and so it proved.

Williams has been in superb form, with this win her 30th in a row, while since a first-round defeat here last year she has won 73 of 76 matches.

Errani simply could do nothing to counter the power coming from the other end of the court, with her serves dispatched back past her before she could move.

Defending champion Sharapova benefited from a rain break at the end of the second set when the momentum seemed to be with her opponent.

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It was a typically up and down day on serve for the Russian, who hit 12 aces and 11 double faults before clinching victory.

Novak Djokovic hopes his victory over Rafael Nadal in Monte Carlo can give him the mental advantage when they meet in the semi-finals of the men’s today.

Nadal leads their head-to-head 19-15 and has won 12 of 15 matches on clay, but Djokovic has come out on top in eight of their last 11 meetings, including the Monte Carlo Masters in April.

In the other semi-final, home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga meets fourth seed David Ferrer.

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Tsonga is playing with the hopes of a nation on his shoulders 30 years after Yannick Noah became the last Frenchman to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

Beverley’s Kyle Edmund lost in the quarter-finals of the boys’ singles at the French Open for the second consecutive year.

The highly-regarded 18-year-old, who is already in the top 500 in the senior rankings, found 16-year-old German Alexander Zverev too tough and lost 2-6 7-5 0-6. But consolation came his way with a wild card into the AEGON Championships at Queen’s Club next week.