By Richard Pagliaro | Friday, October 23, 2015
Maria Sharapova joins Simona Halep, Flavia Pennetta and Agnieszka Radwanska in the Red Group of the WTA Finals in Singapore.
Photo credit: AFP
Maria Sharapova hasn't completed a match since Wimbledon, but she's already gained a solid start in Singapore.
The draw for the WTA Finals was conducted today in Singapore and provides a positive picture for Sharapova.
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First, because world No. 1 Serena Williams, who has reeled off 17 straight wins against Sharapova, has opted out of the tournament.
Secondly, because Sharapova avoids two lefties who have beaten her this year—Lucie Safarova and Angelique Kerber—as well as Petra Kvitova, who dispatched Sharapova in the 2014 WTA Finals as well as the 2011 Wimbledon final.
Sharapova, who beat Serena to win the 2004 title back when the event was staged in Los Angeles, occupies the Red Group of the eight-player, round-robin WTA Finals field along with second-ranked Simona Halep, Agnieszka Radwanska and US Open champion Flavia Pennetta.
All four members of the Red Group boast strong two-handed backhands and stinging return games. Sharapova is the sole power player in the group, but she's also been the most injury-prone player of the quartet.
A leg injury limited her to one match since she lost to Serena in the Wimbledon semifinals. In her lone appearance since SW19, Sharapova split sets with Barbora Strycova in Wuhan before retiring citing forearm pain.
Sharapova says she's healthy now and ready for action.
“I haven't played long, it’s not convenient but I'm healthy now,” Sharapova said. “I spent the last few weeks healing up, and I came out here early to acclimatize.”
Can she shake off the rust from injury-inducted inactivity? If she can, Sharapova should make a semifinal run.
Sharapova has used her ravaging return game to dominate Halep and Radwanska, posting a combined 17-2 record against the pair—she is 12-2 versus Radwanska and 5-0 against Halep, including a dramatic three-set victory in the 2014 French Open final. Pennetta has been a much more problematic opponent.
The former world No. 1 doubles player has used her backhand down the line and front-court skills to unsettle Sharapova, scoring three straight three-set wins over the former world No. 1. Pennetta fought through tears and the hard-hitting Russian posting a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 comeback victory over Sharapova in Indian Wells in March.
Pennetta beat Samantha Stosur, Kvitova and Halep in succession during her stunning run to the US Open final before dispatching good friend and compatriot Roberta Vinci in the Flushing Meadows final. The 33-year-old Italian is the oldest woman in the field. Can she summon the physical resilience to repel younger players in her farewell tournament before retiring?
Will Pennetta feel more pressure knowing this is her final tournament or will that fact allow her to swing more freely and play with less tension in her farewell? Pennetta's all-court skills and experience make her a semifinal contender.
The White Group leans left with a trio of left-handers —Kvitova, Safarova and Kerber—joined by Wimbledon finalist Garbiñe Muguruza, a WTA Finals debutante and the lone right-hander in the White Group.
World No 5 Kvitova and Sharapova are the only former champions in the Singapore field. Kvitova won all five of her matches roaring to the WTA Finals championship in 2011 back when the tournament was staged in Istanbul.
Since her US Open quarterfinal loss to Pennetta, Kvitova has looked lethargic winning just one match during the Asian swing.
The two-time Wimbledon can be erratic, but her flat strikes, twisting lefty serve and net skills give her the weapons to dicate play against any woman in the field. Kvitova is 7-0 against Czech Fed Cup teammate Safarova, including a sweep in the New Haven final in August. Kvitova has won four of six meetings with Kerber though five of their clashes have gone the distance. She will face the 22-year-old Muguruza for the first time during round-robin play.
Since joining forces with coach Sam Sumyk after the US Open, Muguruza has been on a roll winning nine of her last 10 matches backing up her run to the Wuhan final by capturing her second career title in Beijing.
Muguruza will serve double duty during Singapore. She qualified for the doubles draw with compatriot Carla Suárez Navarro when No.3 Casey Dellacqua and Yaroslava Shvedova were forced to withdraw due to the effects of a concussion Dellacqua suffered at the China Open.
If Muguruza, a flat-ball hitter like Kvitova, finds her range and returns with the venom she showed during the Asian swing, she is a strong threat to join Kvitova as semifinalists from the White Group.