Maria Sharapova, Li Na Advance To 2013 Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Final (Stuttgart) Final

Maria Sharapova (click to enlarge)

Took a little blogging break recently, so it’s a joy for me to return to regular postings again by covering a WTA final with 2 of my 4 favorite active players, Maria Sharapova and Li Na (the others being Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic), reaching the final of the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix in Stuttgart, Germany. Who to root for? Wow, I don’t know. I guess I’ll just root for a good match and be happy with whomever wins. Newly named Porsche Global Ambassador and defending Stuttgart champion Masha had the tougher go of it in the semis. In fact, Sharapova has needed three sets to win all of her matches so far in Germany. I wonder if all of the media and distractions with her new sponsorship deal either disrupted her preparation or put more pressure on her as Porsche is the title sponsor of the event. Of course, it could just be that Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber are just darn good players. Masha will get another darn good player in Li Na in the final, so she better be ready. In some ways, I’d like to see Li Na win. I am equally fans of them both, but Masha has many more career titles than Li Na and also presumably many more good years to play.