Maria Sharapova has played like a woman on a mission for the past week, and rightly so because she has one of the toughest missions in all of tennis.
Her assignment: Defend her 2007 US Open title.
Impossible? No, but it will definitely not be easy.
Judging by the way the second half of the draw is shaping up, Sharapova will be the heavy favorite to reach the final, although standing in her way is a trio of her fellow Russians who are eager to take her out before next Saturday.
Before she can reach a meeting with Anna Chakvetadze, Svetlana Kuznetsova, or even Nadia Petrova, Sharapova will have to get past a talented Polish player in tomorrow’s first match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Agnieszka Radwanska is the brightest star to have emerged from Poland in the past several years, and her results are starting to live up to her country’s expectations. She won her first Tour title this summer at Stockholm, even tying Martina Hingis for the least games lost on the way to a title record for 2007.
Sharapova herself has only dropped two games so far at the US Open, and if her form holds, she should be able to shut down Radwanska in less than ninety minutes.
Two talented youngsters will be taking to the courts on Saturday for a bid to reach their first fourth round at the US Open.
Hungarian Agnes Szavay won hearts last week at the Pilot Pen where she played dazzling tennis in her main draw debut in the United States. Her Cinderella run ended unfortunately with an injury in the final, but if her USA hardcourt form continues, she may be able to upset ninth seed Nadia Petrova for a spot in the round of sixteen.
The third match of the day on the Grandstand will be between another teenager, Tamira Paszek, and Swiss lefty Patty Schnyder. The hardworking Paszek slugged her way through to the fourth round at Wimbledon, including three-set wins over Tatiana Golovin and two-time Grand Slam finalist Elena Dementieva. Paszek has never faced the Tour’s top left-handed player, so it will be interesting to see whether she can make the necessary adjustments to her game to compensate for Schnyder’s heavy topspin and looping forehand.
Unlike the women’s night sessions so far at the Open this year, fans will be receiving a special treat of a match between two of the Tour’s best upcoming stars, Nicole Vaidisova and Shahar Peer. Headed into the match, the pair is evenly matched with Vaidisova’s best weapon being her forehand, with Peer relying heavily on her ability to run down every ball.
Other matches to watch on Saturday include Svetlana Kuznetsova vs. Anabel Medina Garrigues, Anna Chakvetadze vs. Sania Mirza, Martina Hingis vs. Victoria Azarenka, and Maria Kirilenko vs. Julia Vakulenko.
