Serena Williams, Maria Sharapova could collide in French Open final
PARIS – For the second consecutive Grand Slam, the two biggest stars in women's tennis are on a collision course to meet in the final. World No. 1 Serena Williams and second seed Maria Sharapova were drawn on the opposite sides at the French Open draw ceremony Friday; they'll both need six wins to make the blockbuster finale a reality.
Williams, a two-time champion here (most recently in 2013), has a tough road ahead. She could face former world No. 1 Victoria Azarenka in the third round, and then either sister Venus or American Sloane Stephens in the fourth round before meeting good friend Caroline Wozniacki in the quarterfinals. Petra Kvitova, the No. 4 seed, landed in Williams' semifinal half, as well.
Sharapova, the defending champion, is joined by No. 3 seed Simona Halep on the bottom half of the draw, with the two slated to face off in the semifinals. Sharapova defeated Halep in last year's final, one of the most memorable women's matches in 2014.
It's Venus Williams and Stephens who will face off in the most high profile of first-round encounters. Williams, the No. 15 seed, is 2-2 on clay this year, with losses to Azarenka (Madrid) and Halep (Rome). Stephens, 22, has sunk to No. 41 in the rankings and bowed out in her Australian Open first-round match against Azarenka in January. This will be the first meeting between Venus Williams and Stephens.
Sharapova will likely get No. 8 seed Carla Suarez Navarro in her quarterfinal should the seeds hold, the defending champion with potential roadblocks that include Sam Stosur in the third round and No. 13 Lucie Safarova in the fourth. The Russian said she doesn't look ahead in the draw, even as hard as that is.
"I think we are all very professional enough to know what's just ahead of us, and that's just the first round," said Sharapova, who meets world No. 49 Kaia Kanepi to start.
In the top half that features Serena Williams and Wozniacki, there's also No. 6 seed Genie Bouchard, whom Kvitova could meet in the quarterfinals. American Madison Keys, the No. 16 seed, opens against countrywoman Varvara Lepchenko. Keys and Kvitova are slated to meet in the fourth round, the Illinois native having upset the Czech earlier this year in Australia.
Ana Ivanovic, the No. 7 seed and a 2008 winner here, is the seeded quarterfinal opponent for Halep. The Romanian, 23, could also meet No. 14 seed Agnieszka Radwanska in the fourth round. Poland's top player, Radwanska has lost her form this year and ended a brief coaching relationship with Martina Navratilova last month.
American women don't have it quite as hard as the U.S. men: Venus-Sloane is the one to watch in the first round, while Christina McHale is due up against a qualifier; and Alison Riske meets No. 17 seed Sara Errani. Taylor Townsend, a third-round surprise here last year, plays Tereza Smitkova of the Czech Republic.
Wild card Louisa Chirico, 19, has a tough ask in No. 9 seed Ekaterina Makarova. Madison Brengle gets Stosur, the No. 26 seed, while Nicole Gibbs meets Alexandra Dulgheru and Lauren Davis plays Mirjana Lucic-Baroni.
Serena Williams, meanwhile, is seeking her 20th Grand Slam title, the world No. 1 inching closer to Steffi Graf's Open era record of 22. Williams, 33, is still in the running for the calendar-year Grand Slam, as well, having won the Australian Open in January.
Asked if clay was Sharapova's best surface to score a win against Williams, the Russian shrugged off the question. She's 2-17 against Williams overall (0-4 on clay), having lost 15 matches in a row over 10 years, including that tight final in Australia this year, as well as the French Open final here, two years ago.
"It's not something that I look at," the 28-year-old said. "I try to improve myself and my game on every single surface I play. I want to improve because other players raise a very high standard on the court. But I never think about what my better chances are on grass or here or the moon or somewhere else."
PHOTOS: Serena Williams in 2015