Sharapova Safina, Preview

Day 9 - Match of the day : Maria Sharapova – Dinara Safina

Maria Sharapova Russia VS.

BACKGROUND Justine Henin’s retirement has meant that the 2008 Australian Open winner moved into the No1 spot on May 19. The Russian followed up her Australian triumph with wins in Doha and more significantly Amelia Island, her first title on clay and a good omen for Roland Garros. Strangely, the No1 seed has been struggling since the beginning of the tournament. A semi-finalist here last year, she has never reached the final at this, the only Grand Slam that she has yet to win. CURRENT FORM Sharapova was lucky to survive an upset in the first round against Rodina, dropped a set in the second round and was taken to a tie-break by Knapp in the third round. She withdrew from Berlin and pulled out before her semi-final match in Rome against Jankovic. Earlier this year, she skipped Dubai and Miami and appears physically fragile, if not mentally. On clay, she looks beatable despite being favourite. STRENGTH The world No1 has once again proven her exceptional mental toughness. A clenched fist accompanied by shouts of “c’mon” are her trademark but this former pupil of the Bollettieri Academny is not just a great fighter. Her tennis is a model of efficiency, intensity and risk-taking. She has a good serve but commits slightly too many unforced errors, but rarely on important points. TACTICS Sharapova has spent much more time on court than Safina, and as a result has worked any nerves out of her system. She must reduce her errors in order to stop her opponent gaining confidence, and will no doubt try to keep the exchanges short. HEAD-TO-HEAD Sharapova beat Safina easily at Indian Wells in 2005 and also in Los Angeles in 2006, both times on hard courts. On clay, however, it is a different story. She needed three sets to beat the young Russian in Berlin in 2004, and bowed out to Safina here in 2006.