Defending champion Maria Sharapova will face Li Na in the Rome final after overpowering Angelique Kerber, 6-3 6-4.
Sharapova has yet to drop a set at the Foro Italico while Kerber has battled through three-set matches against Rodionova and Kvitova, her semi-final appearance here ensuring that she will enter the top 10 next week. Coming into this match, the head-to-head stood at 1-1 with both matches taking place this year, but by the end of the first game it was clear that the advantage today was with Sharapova, just one year older but vastly more experienced on the big stages. Recovering from 0-30 down and saving a break point along the way, at game point the pair traded baseline blows before Kerber threw in a backhand slice, then a drop-shot with far too much air on it which Sharapova easily dismissed. It had a whiff of desperation and being out of ideas about it, boding ill – and accurately – for the rest of the match.
The pair exchanged breaks, then holds of serve before Sharapova took firm control of the opening set, breaking to lead 4-2 as Kerber threw in two double faults. Increasingly the pattern of play took shape as Sharapova’s winners off both wings increased, keeping Kerber scrambling back behind the baseline. The German was not serving well enough against Sharapova’s fearsome returns to be able to move forward inside the baseline more than sporadically, and it became clear that while Sharapova was able to hit clean winners from behind the baseline, Kerber couldn’t or at any rate wasn’t today. After Sharapova served out the set 6-3, Kerber called her coach on to court but sat stone-faced, staring over his head or away down the court as he talked earnestly to her with barely a flicker of response. When she double-faulted down break point serving to open the second set, nobody was surprised.
Despite Kerber getting back on serve briefly, Sharapova never looked anything other than in control, breaking again to lead 3-2 and riding that break until the end of the match. More than anything, it was an experienced performance, showing a champion’s understanding of where and when to exert pressure as exemplified by the fact that Kerber actually got more first serves in for the match (75% to Sharapova’s 59%) but was unable to come up with them at key moments or make them count. Although handling short balls in particular led to some unforced errors, Sharapova finished with 26 winners to Kerber’s 9, demonstrating how thoroughly she mastered the German today. As she served for the match at 5-4, Sharapova put a drive volley into the net from right on top of it, putting herself under pressure and eliciting a deep groan from the crowd. On the next point, she raced up to the high ball and played the drive volley again, this time making no mistakes. Two forehand winners later, she got to smile and wave to the crowd as the victor. It was an appropriate ending to the match for a player who this week identified her stubbornness as both a weakness and a strength.