The Russian Maria Sharapova To Face The Italian World No.21 Sara Errani In a Blistering Final, as Sharapova Looks To Complete Career Grand-Slam.Sharapova will be the overwhelming favorite, with her extensive experience and formidable arsenal of offensive weapons, but Errani has made an improbable run to the finals with upsets over former French Open champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova, and Samantha Stosur, a finalist in 2010.Errani is enjoying a brilliant 2012 campaign, starting the year off by reaching the quarterfinals in the Australian Open. Sharapova, the No. 2 seed who will ascend to the No. 1 ranking next week, has surprised the tennis world with her new-found assuredness on clay. She won WTA events in Stuttgart and in Rome on clay, and has looked confident and composed marching through the bottom half of the draw.Under the tutelage of the Swedish coach Thomas Hogstedt, Sharapova has improved her footwork and overall movement on clay. She is playing better defense – long a weakness in her game — and is now able to play longer points with more consistency. Her serve, which often deserted her in the tense moments of a match, has been much more reliable throughout this clay-court season. She still plays aggressive, first-strike tennis, but she has clearly worked hard to address the shortcomings in her game.Errani has also improved significantly this year. She switched rackets to a longer frame, which she says has added power to her ground strokes. Her forehand is her favorite weapon, and she has transformed herself from a clay-court counterpuncher to more of an offensive threat, going for her shots whenever she senses an opening. This will be key against Sharapova, whose game is founded on controlling the point from start to finish. Look for Errani to attack Sharapova’s forehand side, then move her wide to the backhand. Errani must try to wrest control of the point from Sharapova, and to try to push her off the baseline and out of the center of the court. Errani may also employ the drop shot in an attempt to disrupt Sharapova’s rhythm.But a key to the match will be Errani’s serve. She spun in 86 percent of her first serves against Stosur, but in this match the Errani serve could be a real liability. Sharapova may be the game’s best returner, an intimidating presence as she moves forward to take the ball early. She focuses with an intensity that resembles a hunter stalking prey. Sharapova goes after each return with unbridled aggression, seeking to win the point outright or get a weak return. Her approach to tennis tactics is simple but ruthless as she looks to control and win the point in the first two shots. This will put enormous pressure on Errani, who must withstand the offensive onslaught in order to expose Sharapova’s weaknesses.The Sharapova serve, which was prone to frequent double faults at key moments, has been a consistent weapon throughout the tournament. Against Petra Kvitova in the semifinals, Sharapova made 79 percent of her first serves, winning 75 percent of those points. She served only three double faults, but won just 33 percent of her points on second serves. If Sharapova struggles with her first serve, this could provide an opening for Errani. But if Sharapova serves well, look for her to hit a lot of first-strike winners.
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