The Australian Open Woman’s final will see the number three-ranked Victoria Azarenka up against the number four ranked Maria Sharapova. The winner on Saturday will not only receive the first Grand Slam of the year, but she will also gain the overall number one ranking in woman’s tennis. Which is up for grabs since the current number one, Caroline Wozniacki lost in the quarterfinals.
Azarenka who is 11-0 in 2012 got to her first career Grand Slam final with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 victory against the defending champion Kim Clijsters. The match took two hours and 12 minutes, and was a hard fought battle, but the 22-year-old Azarenka looked like she had more than enough poise and ability to handle the pressure that comes with a big time matchup, in a big time situation. Azarenka who has been playing with more maturity and poise to her game has taken her game to the next level. She knows she belongs now and that she has the ability to be the best player in the world and to step into the winners circle at the Grand Slam for the first time in her career
Sharapova on the other hand is no stranger to the spot light, winning her first major (Wimbledon) at the mere age of 17. Since then she has added four other Grand Slam championships. Any tournament she enters, she is considered one of the top contenders. However in the past few years, she has been plagued with shoulder and ankle injuries that have forced her to the sidelines for extended periods. However, Sharapova has showed no sign of her body slowing down throughout this Australian Open and has looked as good as ever. Sharapova advanced to the finals with a tough 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory over the second Petra Kvitova in the semi-finals, giving her a good warm up for the matchup against Azarenka.
Head to head, Sharapova and Azarenza have both won three matches against each other, with Azarenza taking the last matchup, but the last two times they faces on a hard surface like they will be playing on Saturday, Sharapova coming has come out on top. With both women coming into the finals playing high level of tennis, this should make for another suburb finals between the two.
There is however online ONE thing guaranteed to happen Saturday. It will be the “Scream Queen Finals”. With the two loudest shot grunters on tour going at it, it will defiantly be very LOUD.
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Written by: Omar Khamissa - @omarbha135
