WTA US Open 2011 Preview: Maria Sharapova vs. Flavia Pennetta

Maria Sharapova will bid to continue her U.S Open run on Friday when she meets Flavia Pennetta in round three.

Despite having struggled in her tournament opener against Heather Watson, Maria Sharapova was in blistering form on Wednesday against Anastasia Yakimova of Belarus. The former world No. 1 needed just an hour and ten minutes to earn her berth in round three, and the rest of the field here will be well aware that she’s in contention to win the title.

Sharapova’s attacking game was incisive enough to cut through a Yakimova defence that was more stubborn than the scoreline would suggest. The underdog hit just six unforced errors, and Sharapova could have ended up in trouble had she not managed to take her chances.

Next up for the Russian will be Flavia Pennetta. Pennetta stormed through to the third round with a 6-0, 6-3 thrashing of Romina Oprandi, and she’ll be aiming to continue playing with confidence. Whilst she won her last match against Sharapova (Los Angeles, 2009), it’s unlikely that Pennetta will be allowed to control the pace of this upcoming contest.

Sharapova will be the favourite here, and on current form she should have the edge on Friday. Pennetta is good enough to make this a very tough clash though, and it will be interesting to see who ends up earning a place in the fourth round.