Power vs. Precision Set to Clash in the Sony Ericsson Open Final

Two of the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour’s biggest stars are set to clash tomorrow in the final of the Sony Ericsson Open in Miami, Florida.

Justine Henin and Serena Williams, the current world number one and the 2007 Australian Open champion respectively, are ready and waiting to hit the court Saturday in hopes of winning the Tier I title on Key Biscayne.

Both players are at the top of their form and have only recorded one loss each so far this season.

Justine’s only defeat came in February at the Open Gaz de France, but she has reached three consecutive finals, with titles at Dubai and Doha.

Serena Williams is still relishing the moment of one of her greatest triumphs when she won her eight Grand Slam title with a crushing straight sets win over Maria Sharapova. Her only loss of the season in Hobart, Australia was the catalyst which propelled her to the trophy at the Australian Open.

It has been almost four years since Justine and Serena faced each other and since then it has been Justine who has risen to prominence. Granted, Serena did win a couple of Grand Slams during that period, but Justine won five Grand Slam titles and reached three more GS finals. Her game has improved, her forehand has only gotten better, and Justine has matured into the best all-around player in the women’s game.

With both players almost undefeated this year, its hard to predict which one will triumph on Saturday afternoon. Even though this is just Justine’s fourth event of the season, she has had more preparation and match-play than Serena. On top of that, the possibility of Serena’s knee causing her trouble only adds to the intrigue.

Even though Serena denied having any problems with her knee in her post-match press conference last night, she was overheard telling her father during her period of on-court coaching yesterday that her knee was hurting her. Pain has never been something that Venus or Serena cares to admit, but this time, it could wind up costing her the title.

Her match against Peer was the first time that Serena had been severely tested at Miami over the past two weeks because instead of trying to out-hit Serena, Shahar decided to try and move her around the court. Unlike Maria Sharapova, Shahar Peer is a much better mover and kept making sure that Serena had to keep hitting one more shot to end the point. She was used to not having to get as many balls back against players like Maria Sharapova or Nicole Vaidisova, and Serena’s game last night forced her into a tough opening set.

If Serena struggled moving against Peer, it is anyone’s guess how she is going to fare against the Tour’s best dictator. Justine’s blistering forehand up the line is one of her best weapons and she’ll be looking to keep Serena on the run, especially if she knows that her movement may be somewhat hampered by any soreness in her left knee. She’ll be trying to neutralize Serena’s power by refusing to give her any short balls, and especially do her best to hold her own serve.

Even though Serena struggled during the first set against Peer, she did not even face one breakpoint on her serve during the opening set.

On the flip side, Serena will be looking to overpower the petite Belgian because even though Justine packs a lot of pace on her shots, she is still no match for Serena in the power department. Solid serving will be one of Serena’s biggest keys to winning, especially when she is able to bail herself out of any trouble with an ace out wide. If Serena can continue to take the ball early, she’ll also reduce the amount of time Justine has to set up the angles.

We did not see Serena come to the net a lot last night, partially because Shahar Peer’s foot-speed is so good, and I doubt if we see a lot of that tomorrow against Henin. Justine may not be as fast as Peer, but her agility and precision at the net is unparalleled, mostly because of her superior clay court game.

Head-to-head, Serena holds a 5-3 lead over Justine, and if she continues play aggressively and keep the pressure on Henin, she’ll see that lead extend to six and win her fourth career title in Miami.

The match begins tomorrow at 12:00PM ET and will be broadcasted live in the United States on CBS.

Anyone care to weigh in with a prediction? Also, feel free to use this post to match-call tomorrow afternoon.

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