Justine Henin to Face Maria Sharapova in 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships Final
Posted by Aaress Lawless on Nov 10, 2007 | Print | Email | Bookmark
World No.1 Justine Henin and two-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova will compete for the 2007 Sony Ericsson Championships title on Sunday in Madrid.
Sharapova reached the final first on Saturday by cruising past her countrywoman Anna Chakvetadze in straight sets 6-2, 6-2.
Henin also advanced to the championship match after handily defeating Ana Ivanovic 6-4, 6-4
Now that I’ve had a chance to watch some of both matches (thank you VERSUS for making fans wait half a day to watch coverage), I think Henin will have a tough time defending her season-ending Championships title.
The last time I saw Maria Sharapova play this well was at the 2006 US Open. Like at the Open, her shots were well-timed, her trademark aggression was on display during every point, and her serve - the best shot in Sharapova’s arsenal - was accurate and on target.
Just as it was in Flushing Meadows last year, Sharapova has played better as she moved through the draw. Her performance has gotten better with every win, and her 6-2, 6-2 blitzing of Chakvetadze (no easy feat) should have her confidence at an all-time high.
Sharapova knows that she is playing well, and that has to have her heart pumping as she heads into tomorrow’s final. The last time she competed this well was two years ago, and she is set to face the same opponent in the Championship match.
I don’t expect Justine Henin to meltdown reminiscent of 2006, but I do fully expect Maria Sharapova to give her a run for her money.
Henin is playing good tennis, but she’s not playing brilliant tennis. Her performance against Ivanovic could only be termed adequate, and as Hako mentioned below earlier today, nine double-faults will simply not work against Sharapova.
And we all thought Sharapova would be the person to lose because her shoddy serving.
But now I’m starting to wonder if Justine Henin will come up short in the final because of her own first serve woes.
Hako | Nov 10, 2007 | Reply
Maria is playing at her top level this week. Which means Justine can’t get away with the nine double-faults she had today. When Maria is serving this well, you simply can’t afford to give her free points off double-faults. Also, Justine’s first-serve percentage was 49% against Ivanovic. That wont work against Maria who is getting free points off her re-vamped serve. Justine can win no doubt, but she will need to serve better to do so. She doesn’t need 70% first serves in, but I can’t see her winning it with less the 60%.
Nick | Nov 10, 2007 | Reply
If Maria serves this well, she definitely has a chance to knock down Justine, but I hope she doesn’t choke up her serve when Justine attacks Maria’s first and second. Justine’s serve might not work well but she attacks well enough to give Maria trouble.
I hope they have a great match tomorrow…good to end the season with a great battle for the fans.
Venusfan | Nov 11, 2007 | Reply
wow i cant belive im actually rooting for Maria to win.
lance | Nov 11, 2007 | Reply
Hako,
Guess you are wrong. With less than 60% 1st serve and 8 double faults, she won the title. Her determination and will power should not be questioned. She proved herself once again.
Allez Justine
Hako | Nov 13, 2007 | Reply
True Lance, she did it with under 60% first serves in. But the point I was making was that she had to improve her serving to win. And that’s exactly what she did. Her first serve percentage against Ivanovic was only 49%, and she had nine double-faults in just TWO sets. In the final, she had 55% first serves in, and eight double faults over THREE sets. If she hadn’t improved her serving, I doubt she would have won.