Next up: Williams vs. Sharapova
PARIS » If the upcoming French Open showdown between Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova provides any of the sort of animus and back-and-forth they manage to stir up away from the court, look out.
During a news conference after both won Saturday to set up the longtime rivals’ fourth-round matchup at Roland Garros, Williams criticized Sharapova’s autobiography as “hearsay” and twice brought up the Russian’s 15-month doping ban.
Producing by far the best performance in her return to Grand Slam tennis — 16 months after her last major tournament and nine months after having a baby — Williams played cleanly and powerfully in a 6-3, 6-4 tour de force against 11th-seeded Julia Goerges that lasted a mere 75 minutes and lacked much in the way of theatrics.
“There is still a ways to go, but it’s moving in the right direction,” said Williams, who made only three unforced errors in the first set, 12 in all. “And I think that as long as it’s moving in the right direction, I know I will get there.”
Sharapova advanced with a similarly lopsided win, 6-2, 6-1 against 2016 U.S. Open runner-up Karolina Pliskova.
Now comes the drama: Williams vs. Sharapova on Monday with a quarterfinal spot at stake.
They have verbally clashed in the past, such as a 2013 public spat about their private lives.
Williams, 36, owns 23 major singles titles. Sharapova, 31, has won five. Williams has won the French Open three times, Sharapova twice. They are the only active women with a career Grand Slam; they are two of six in history to accomplish that. Both have been ranked No. 1.
But the head-to-head history is overwhelmingly in Williams’ favor: She has won 19 of 21 meetings, including 18 in a row.
“Quite frankly, she’s probably a favorite in this match, for sure,” Williams said with a chuckle. “She’s been playing ... for over a year now. I just started. So I’m just really trying to get my bearings and trying to feel out where I am and see where I can go.”
The last time Sharapova beat Williams was in 2004.
The last time they played was in the 2016 Australian Open quarterfinals, Sharapova’s final appearance before her 15-month drug suspension.
“Well, it’s been a while,” Sharapova said, “and I think a lot has happened in our lives for the both of us, in very different ways.”
Williams was asked about
Maria Sharapova clenches her fist after winning a point against Karolina Pliskova in the third round on Saturday.
Sharapova’s book, which was published last year. It contains quite a bit of material about the American, including a reference to Williams crying in the locker room after losing to Sharapova in the Wimbledon final 14 years ago.
“As a fan, I wanted to read the book and I was really excited for it to come out and I was really happy for her. And then the book was a lot about me. I was surprised about that, to be honest,” Williams said. “I was, like, ‘Oh, OK, I didn’t expect to be reading a book about me — that wasn’t necessarily true.’”
Insisting she doesn’t “have any negative feelings” toward Sharapova, Williams said “the success of one female should be the inspiration to another.”
Seconds later, Williams made reference to Sharapova’s “incident of drugs.”
There were plenty of other results involving top names at the French Open on Saturday. Other women moving into the fourth round included 2016 champion Garbine Muguruza, two-time runner-up Simona Halep, two-time major title winner Angelique Kerber and reigning U.S. Open champion Sloane Stephens. Men’s winners included 10-time champion Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Marin Cilic, No. 5 Juan Martin del Potro, No. 6 Kevin Anderson and No. 9 John Isner.
The men’s and women’s second-seeded players are in fourth-round action at the French Open. No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany faces big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov, a familiar face from back in their junior days. “We know each other pretty well,” the 21-year-old Zverev said. “Also we are good outside the court, with his parents, they know me and I know them well.” Zverev beat the 22-year-old Khachanov in their only previous meeting, two years ago on hard courts in the Russian city of Saint Petersburg. Both are looking to reach the quarterfinals of a major for the first time, and they will be first up on Court Suzanne Lenglen. No. 2 Caroline Wozniacki is bidding for her second straight Grand Slam title after winning the Australian Open, the first major of her career. But the Danish player faces a tricky match later on Lenglen against 14th-seeded Russian Daria Kasatkina, who has beaten her twice this year. Also, in men’s fourth-round matches, 2016 French Open champion Novak Djokovic takes on Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco for the 15th time overall. Djokovic leads 10-4, including the past five encounters. No. 7 Dominic Thiem of Austria — a semifinalist at Roland Garros the past two years — faces No. 19 Kei Nishikori of Japan. Nishikori leads him 2-0 in head-to-heads. Both of those matches are on Court Philippe Chatrier. SUNDAY’S FORECAST Sunny with some cloud and a high of 81. SATURDAY’S WINNERS Seeded winners in the men’s third round: No. 1 Rafael Nadal, No. 3 Marin Cilic, No. 5Juan Martin del Potro, No. 6 Kevin Anderson, No. 8 David Goffin, No. 9John Isner, No. 11Diego Schwartzman, No. 18 Fabio Fognini. Seeded winners in the women’s third round: No. 1 Simona Halep, No. 3 Garbine Muguruza, No. 7 Caroline Garcia, No. 10 Sloane Stephens, No. 12 Angelique Kerber, No. 16Elise Mertens, No. 25Anett Kontaveit, No. 28 Maria Sharapova. SATURDAY’S LOSERS Seeded losers in the men’s third round: No. 15 Lucas Pouille, No. 16 Kyle Edmund, No. 27 Richard Gasquet, No. 31Albert Ramos-Vinolas, No. 32Gael Monfils. Seeded losers in the women’s third round: No. 6 Karolina Pliskova, No. 8 Petra Kvitova, No. 11 Julia Georges, No. 18Kiki Bertens, No. 19Magdalena Rybarikova, No. 24 Daria Gavrilova. STAT OF THE DAY 2007: The last time there were no men from France in the fourth round at Roland Garros. QUOTE OF THE DAY “We are both on a comeback for two totally different reasons, and she’s been on her journey for over a year and I just started mine a couple months ago.” — Williams, looking ahead to her fourth-round clash against longtime rival Sharapova.