Masharenka In Miami

JD Blom

Back in 2009 when Victoria Azarenka defeated a one-legged Serena Williams in the Sony Ericsson Open final, the Belarusian was hailed as the next Maria Sharapova. The 3-time Slam champion and former World No. 1 was struggling with injury and ennui and the WTA seemed to want another ball-bashing, blue-eyed blonde to rule the day.

Didn't quite work out. Azarenka didn't follow her Miami crown with any title of import (despite their premier designation, Stanford and Moscow only have 28 players in the draw so they don't count as big titles in my eyes), never even contesting a Slam semifinal. She's got weapons off the ground, to be sure, but has seemed frail on the biggest stages. Now, she's back in the finals of the fifth Slam and if she takes the title, she'll be back on track, at least in the minds of her fans, to do great things.


JD Blom

But she's got to get through the woman she was supposed to replace. Sharapova is fighting to return to the form that made her a force. Her Australian Open victory in 2008 remains one of the most dominating Slam performances I've ever witnessed from start to finish. Unfortunately, it was the last time we saw Maria at her best. Now, while her fight remains, her serve causes heartburn. She told me in Miami that her shoulder wasn't completely healed, but stable. Stable enough to return here for the first time in three years, and if she can win the fifth Slam, a title she's never won before, her long and arduous comeback will be fully realized.

While both women can struggle on serve, their returns are world-class. Azarenka moves better, Masha's tougher. I suspect there will be a ton of breaks so holds of serve will prove decisive. It will be most interesting to see whom the crowd gets behind, the former champion or the Floridian?

Who's going to take it?

::

Watch the final in the United States on CBS at 12:30 EDT.