Sharapova vs. Williams

These two female stars will finally meet in the third round of the Sony Ericsson Open. The two havent played since they met at Wimbledon in 2005. I have to say that Williams has shown she has what it takes to beat the best in the world. I think that Sharapova will be in trouble.

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Maria Sharapova began her bid to regain the No. 1 ranking Saturday by beating Chan Yung-jan 6-3, 6-2 in her opening match at the Sony Ericsson Open. Sharapova is seeded No. 1, but her seven-week reign atop the rankings ended this week when she was overtaken by Justine Henin. Bodog.com had Sharapova listed as a -3000 favorite to win the match. Seeking her first Key Biscayne title, Sharapova faces a difficult draw. If she beats three-time champion Venus Williams, she could face another three-time winner - Serena Williams - in the next round. ''If you want to win a big tournament like this, you've got to play against good players,'' Sharapova said. Venus Williams won the last time she faced Sharapova and went on to the Wimbledon title, her fifth and most recent Grand Slam championship. Sharapova won their other two meetings. Williams needs a victory Sunday for a shot at a fourth-round matchup against her sister. The last time they met was at the 2005 U.S. Open. Slowed by injuries in recent months, Venus Williams is playing in only her third tournament since July. She won a Tier III event in Memphis in February for her first title in 19 months. While Sharapova is seeded No. 1, her seven-week reign atop the rankings ended this week when she was overtaken by Justine Henin. She began her bid to reclaim the top spot on a windy afternoon, double-faulting eight times against Chan and facing six break points but saving them all. ''I felt like I was in control,'' Sharapova said. ''With the break points she had, I was able to come up with good defensive play. She had me on the run on some of those break points, and I was able to come up with good shots. But it's the first match. It's never completely there. I'm sure I'll get better.'' The 17-year-old Chan fell to 0-5 this year. Williams trailed Kirilenko 1-0 in the second set when rain interrupted play for more than four hours. They completed three more games before another shower halted play for 1 hour, 10 minutes. The day-session match ended at 10 p.m. EDT, delaying the start of night match between top-ranked Roger Federer and 19-year-old American Sam Querrey. Federer's friend Tiger Woods, leading the CA Championship at nearby Doral after three rounds, was part of the sellout crowd. Joining Sharapova and Venus Williams in the third round was two-time champion Martina Hingis, seeded fifth, who beat qualifier Iveta Benesova 6-3, 6-2. Patty Schnyder lost to Kaia Kanepi 6-1, 6-4. Qualifier Vera Dushevina defeated Marion Bartoli 7-6 (5), 2-6, 6-4. Nicole Vaidisova rallied past Michaella Krajicek 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. In men's play, No. 20 Jarkko Nieminen beat lucky loser Evgeny Korolev 6-0, 6-0 - the first double bagel of the year on the men's tour. Another lucky loser, Alejandro Falla, upset No. 9 Tommy Haas 6-4, 6-4. David Nalbandian, trying to shake a slump, improved to 6-5 this year by beating Vince Spadea 6-3, 6-4. ''If I win one or two more matches and get more confidence, maybe I can be dangerous,'' Nalbandian said. Ivan Ljubicic, the runner-up to Roger Federer in 2006, defeated Filippo Volandri 6-3, 6-2. Richard Gasquet won a seesaw match against fellow Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, 6-4, 0-6, 6-2.

this could get interesting!

Williams hadn't played in along time, this was not a tier 3 tourney...plus she had 5 + hours the day before when she beat Kirilenko. I had Pova...Venus isn't going to win another major..she is done.

I guess I was way off on that one. Best part about a Sharapova win is the pictures on the sports page the next day.