Sharapova desperate to turn back the clock

– Maria Sharapova admitted over the weekend that “numbers don’t lie” as she prepared to face bitter rival Serena Williams, who she has lost to 18 times in a row, in the French Open fourth round.

Sharapova, who thrashed Karolina Pliskova in the third round, will face Williams for the 22nd time in the last-16 today after the American saw off Germany’s Julia Goerges 6-3, 6-4.

Serena leads her head-to-head record with Sharapova 19-2, with the Russian’s last win coming at the 2004 WTA Tour Championships – before even the birth of Twitter and YouTube.

Sharapova has lost their last seven meetings in straight sets and has managed to take only three sets off the 36-year-old in those 18 defeats.

It will the first time the two have faced off since the American’s win in the 2016 Australian Open quarterfinals – Sharapova’s last match before serving a 15-month doping ban.

“Any time you play against Serena you know what you’re up against,” said the 31-year-old Sharapova, who routed Pliskova 6-2, 6-1 on Saturday.

This will be the earliest the two have played each other in a tournament since a last-16 match at Wimbledon in 2010, with the majority of their meetings coming in finals and semifinals.

But both are on the road back towards the top of the sport after their recent absences.

Williams had played only four matches since taking time off due to her pregnancy.

Sharapova is seeded for the first time at a Grand Slam since her suspension for using meldonium and is playing her first French Open since 2015 after being refused a wildcard by tournament organisers last year. – AFP