Queen Masha in AIG Japan Open

By: Pranaya

First congratulation for Maria!!! She did it again!!! Third title of the year with a dominating performance whole week at Seoul.

As the season is on the fourth quarter with Wta tour championship coming, near we can expect some great tournaments and matches. Maria is one of the contenders who is expected to qualify for the year-ending championship. This week the Wta tour is traveling for a visit to Filderstadt in Germany and still the Asian series is yet to be concluded, AIG Japan Open in Japan.

Masha will try to become one of those few players this year who is trying to win two tournaments in two weeks. As not to mention she is the top seed as well as the defending champion here. She is hot entering the    tournament with a title and to continue her success at the Asian soil. Last year she won her first tour title at the age of 16 and not to forget she won the doubles too with Tanasugarn. So, team Sharapova can expect the same success this year too. But this year French-Russian Tatiana Golovin featuring as the second seed, Shinobu Asagoe, Kristina Brandi will try to stop her for the way to the title.

 

First round: Bye

No match.

 

Second round: Nakamura

I don’t think this Japanese can be of any match for teen queen Maria.

Prediction: Maria in 2 quick sets.

 

Quarter-final: Srebotnik

Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik had a good tournament last week and for this week

her tournament will be over when she falls in the quarters in the hands of Sharapova.

Prediction: Maria in 2 fighting sets

 

Semi-final: Kapros

I think about the rematch of last year’s final. But this time I don’t think about a three setter here because we have improved Sharapova.

Predict: Sharapova in 2 sets.

 

Final: Golovin

Third all-teen final? Sharapova featuring again, second week in a row?  Yes, I think again Sharapova-Golovin match will take place after Birmingham when Sharapova won in 3 sets.  As Sharapova will sail on, Golovin can have a second round test against Nicole Vaidisova otherwise she won’t have much hurdles defeating players like Jidkova or Koukalova in Quarters, Brandi in semis. As she is the second seed she should be in the final. But she has to wait again for her first title.  Sharapova will emerge victorious to take her fourth title of the year, sixth overall and two in Japan and in two weeks.

Predict: Sharapova in 3 sets

Good luck Maria for a great week ahead!