The Russian opens her tournament versus Ksenia Pervak. It is rare to have to hunt around in the draw of a major to find the name of Maria Sharapova.
Yet here in Paris, the four-time Grand Slam champion is tucked into the draw between Jelena Jankovic and Angelique Kerber as the No.7 seed, in the same quarter as rival Serena Williams.
Sharapova’s 2014 season has featured two titles (for a career total of 31) but also five losses to lesser-ranked opponents. She has also fallen twice to Serena Williams: in the semis at Brisbane where the Russian was making a comeback from a four-month hiatus due to injury and at the same stage in Miami at the WTA Premier Mandatory. The two could meet again here in an enticing quarter-final duel which would be a rematch of last year’s final. Clay titles for Maria The world No.8 has had a good clay-court swing this year, winning in Stuttgart over 2008 French Open champ Ana Ivanovic in the final and in Madrid, where she turned aside 2011 US Open champ Samantha Stosur before downing the second, third and fourth seeds in that order. In Rome, Ivanovic avenged her loss of three weeks earlier, beating Sharapova in the third round. With two titles on clay, the Siberian should be brimming with confidence. And aside from her first ever trip to the Porte d’Auteuil in 2003 as a 16-year-old, she has never lost before the fourth round, winning the title in 2012.
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