By Chris Oddo | Friday, June 19, 2014
Five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams could meet this year's French Open champion Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Photo Source: AP
Five-time Wimbledon champion Serena Williams could face this year’s French Open champion Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon, the draw revealed today.
Wimbledon Draws: Men | Women
Williams, who owns a 15-match winning streak and a 16-2 lifetime record against the Russian, could have to get through Alize Cornet in the third round and rising Canadian Eugenie Bouchard in the fourth round if she is to face Sharapova in what would be a heavily anticipated quarterfinal.
Sharapova, who famously defeated Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon final for her first career Grand Slam title, has not defeated the 17-time Grand Slam champion since the WTA Championships of that same year. Her losing streak against Williams reached 15 this spring in Miami, when she fell, 6-4, 6-3, to Williams in the semifinals.
Sharapova’s road to the quarterfinals will not be easy either. She could face compatriot Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in the third round. Pavlyuchenkova, who tends to run hot and cold, has split two matches with Sharapova this season, defeating her in Paris on an indoor hard court before falling to her in Stuttgart on clay.
The stacked top half of the women’s draw also features Ana Ivanovic, whose three titles in 2014 leave her tied with Williams and Sharapova for the WTA lead, Simona Halep, who is playing at a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world, last year’s runner-up Sabine Lisicki, and Jelena Jankovic.
In the bottom half of the draw, second-seeded Li Na could face 2011 Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova in the quarterfinals, while third-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska could face recently returned Victoria Azarenka in the last eight. Azarenka has played only one match since March. She dropped a three-set decision to Camila Giorgi of Italy in Eastbourne this week after making her return from a foot injury.
Click back for a full review of the women’s singles draw later in the day.