Maria Sharapova Defeats Ana Ivanovic In 2013 Mutua Madrid Open Semifinals, #1 Ranking On The Line In Final Against Serena Williams

Maria Sharapova (click to enlarge)

Well, here we go again. This is the 2013 Mutua Madrid Open final a lot of people (including me) wanted to see: Maria Sharapova vs Serena Williams with the world #1 ranking on the line. If Serena wins, she maintains #1 . If Masha wins, she reclaims the top spot. The last time Masha faced Serena, she extended the American megastar to 3 sets. But I have to disagree with the commentators of that contest in their claim that it was a great match. Maybe they were just happy Serena won. I am a huge Masha fan, but I can’t say the match was great when Sharapova lost the final 10 games, including getting bagelled 6-0 in the final set. It was a great match for a little while until Serena turned it on and blitzed Masha. However, I do think that Sharapova has a very good chance in the Madrid final. Clay is proving to be a great surface for Masha. She’s the defending Roland Garros champion and has won 20 straight matches on clay after notching her 500th career victory (overall, not just on clay) in her 6-4 6-3 semifinal win against Ana Ivanovic. Masha is rolling on this surface. That’s not to say Ana didn’t have chances. She did. But Sharapova seemed to come up with big shots when she needed them. Still, this is a great tournament performance for Ivanovic. I hope to see more semis and finals for Ana as the year goes on.