Karolina Pliskova wanted a shot at Maria Sharapova.
She gets it in the French Open third round.
More: Buzarnescu Stuns Svitolina
Following her 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 win over former French Open finalist Lucie Safarova, Pliskova said she set her sights on a Sharapova showdown when the draw was issued—and likes her chances to topple the former No. 1.
“For me, it was the goal to play her in the third round... I believe I have a good chance to win,” Pliskova said.
The 31-year-old Sharapova swept Pliskova, 6-3, 6-4, in their lone prior meeting on hard court in the 2015 Fed Cup final.
Two-time Roland Garros champion Sharapova is playing some of her most proactive since launching her comeback from a drug ban.
The third-round blockbuster should be a match of first-strike tennis.
“I don’t expect extremely long rallies against an opponent like that," Sharapova said. "But sometimes (that’s) not what it takes to win a match, and I think you have to kind of take care of your service games, and I have to serve better than I have been.
“And take care of the return. But that side of the game, I feel, has improved in the last few months.”
The match pits Sharapova's ruthless return game against one of the premier servers in Pliskova, who leads the WTA in aces for the fourth straight year.
The 28th-seeded Sharapova has double faulted 12 times in two matches.
Pliskova is coming off a 13-ace, three double fault performance defeating Safarova.
The 2017 Roland Garros semifinalist believes her serve will be the key stroke in the match and suggests Sharapova's second serve can get shaky.
"I believe I have (a) better serve than she (does), so I think that can be the deciding key,” Pliskova said, adding, “she can do a lot of mistakes … a lot of free points from double faults.”
The winner of their rematch could face Serena Williams in the fourth round, though the 23-time Grand Slam champion must get past 11th-seeded German Julia Goerges to reach the round of 16.
Photo credit: Porsche Tennis Grand Prix Facebook