Maria Sharapova has been a dominating force in the claycourt season for the past two years. In 2012, she won three claycourt titles, including the French Open and it would have been a blemish-free road to claycourt dominance, if not for a certain Serena Williams. During that time, her only loss on clay was against the top-ranked American in the quarterfinals of the Madrid Open.
It does show on paper that Sharapova's major roadblock the past few years has been Williams. The Russian has not won a match against Williams since the 2004 WTA Championships and she lags behind in their head-to-head series record at 2-12.
"It's always tough against her," Sharapova said. "I haven't had a win against her in a long time, but the great thing is that I'm really setting myself up in a position where I can try to change that around.
"I thought I really well against her in Miami for the first set and a half – obviously that's not enough, but the goal is to keep that level for the whole match this time and open up my chances, take my opportunities. It's been a while since we played on a clay court, too, and every match is different."
Sharapova is contesting her 50th final. She has compiled a 29-20 record in final. A victory on Sunday at the Madrid Open will elevate her ranking back to world number one.
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