Serena versus Sharapova.
Maria versus Williams.
No matter how you say it, the names alone generate great expectations.
And their quarterfinal match Friday certainly lived up to the billing.
I've never seen two players hit as hard and for as long as these two did in their battle.
It was one of those matches where you didn't want to get up to use the bathroom, even if you really had to go, because you were afraid that you might miss another great moment.
Two hours -- yes, two hours! -- went by before the first two sets ended, and one exchange in the first set characterized the intensity.
With Sharapova up 3-2 and the score locked at deuce, Sharapova attempted to cach Serena off guard by slicing a drop shot near the net. But Serena kept her footing on the slick clay and smashed a backhand winner while letting out a scream.
On the next point, the 21-year-old Russian responded, hitting a strong forehand winner down the right side that impressed everyone in the stands.
Speaking of the stands, of course, Serena's dad, Richard, was there and he appears to have some fascination with cameras. He would stroll around the stadium and stands behind photographers, studying their superior cameras and sometimes asking them questions. Then, if he wasn't encouraging his daughter with monotone yells of "Let's go Mika (not sure what that means), he'd sit down and take pictures of Serena at random times.
Anyways, back to the match.
The thing was, even though Sharapova seemed in control for most of the first two sets while Serena seemed out of it, the score said otherwise. Serena won eight straight games at one point and had 11 aces in the first two sets. But afterward, she said that she wss just "going through the motions" during those first two hours. Don't we all wish it was that easy?
Obviously, Serena hit another gear in that third set, winning six of the seven games in just 30 minutes and keeping Sharapova guessing with an arsenal of shots around the court.
It was a tough way to go out for Sharapova, but when the media tried to push her into saying it would ruin her 21st birthday on Saturday, she wouldn't budge. Instead, she somewhat looked forward to actually celebrating her birthday with friends rather playing tennis.
With defending champ and top seed Jelena Jankovic falling in Friday's evening quarterfinal match, Serena is the favorite to win her second straight WTA Tier I event.