Maria Sharapova: Destined for Greatness at the US Open?

Whenever I think of Maria Sharapova, the first image that comes to mind is of her preparing to serve. The routine is the same every single time: she tucks her hair behind her ears, bounces the ball once, twice. Right before her ball toss, she looks across the court and you can see the concentration behind her eyes. I am a determined competitor and I want to win this, that look says.

As the US Open rolls around again this year, Maria will be hoping to improve her performance on the blue courts. She had her best showing last year, racing through to the semifinals before losing in three sets to eventual champion Kim Clijsters. When asked to assess her performance, Maria said she had to improve her physical conditioning and adjust to her two-inch growth spurt. One year later, she seems to have put in the extra training time, looking more fit and moving better. Aside from her fourth-round exit at this year’s French Open, she has gotten to the semifinal or better in each of the tournaments she’s entered, and she’s likely to repeat that feat at the US Open.

That is, if the draw is kind and she doesn’t have to face a Williams sister in the early rounds.

Venus and Serena Williams haven’t been able to play themselves into form lately, but they both have demonstrated an ability to raise their respective games against Maria: witness Maria’s semifinal losses at majors last year to Serena (Australian Open) and Venus (Wimbledon). Venus is currently ranked 30th in the world, thereby increasing the chance that Maria may meet her early in the tournament. However, Serena is the more dangerous floater, having been given a wildcard into the Open; there’s even a chance Maria could draw her in the first round! Williamses aside though, I definitely like Maria’s chances at getting a semifinal berth.

It will be a tough road from the semifinals, though. With the prospective seedings based on the August 21 rankings, Maria will be #3 to Amelie Mauresmo’s #1 and Justine Henin-Hardenne’s #2. Should the seeds hold true, Maria must hurdle one of these players in the semifinal, and the other in the final. It may be that Justine’s and Amelie’s similar styles of mixing up spin and pace are the particular bane of Maria’s more straightforward baselining: her head-to-head records against both players aren’t pretty, with Amelie leading 4-0 and Justine leading 4-1. These players have also been her downfall at two of the three majors this year: Justine dispatched Maria at the Australian Open, and Amelie eliminated her at Wimbledon. That won’t stop Maria from trying. Coupled with her improved fitness, her proven tenacity and fierce hunger to win may yet be able to pull her through to her second Slam title.

- Noelle De Guzman from Game, Ms. Noelle