Maria Sharapova Falls to Fellow Russian at the 2008 French Open

Maria Sharapova, defeated again in the 2008 French Open Roland Garros by Marat Safin's sister, Dinara Safina. The three set thriller captivated the audience's attention as both Russian women fought for the victory. After nearly three hours on the court, Dinara Safina emerged victorious over her fellow Russian Maria Sharapova. The final score was 6-7(6),7-6(5),6-2.

Two years ago, Dinara Safina defeated Maria Sharapova on the same courts of the French Open Roland Garros. After this 2008 matchup, both women ended up with the exact same 1st serve percentage of 63%. Safina had 66 winners while Sharapova had 65 winners. With equally strong serves from both Safina and Sharapova, the two women were well-matched. The only true advantage Safina had over Sharapova was the total points one, which is evident by the final set's score. The close battle between the two Russian women showed the strength of Russian tennis, especially in the French Open Roland Garros.

Dinara Safina was able to capture the win against Maria Sharapova because of her power and exceptional movement. Safina stepped up her game against Sharapova on the key points of the match. Even though she lost a disappointing first set to Sharapova in the tiebreaker, she fought hard to win the second set in a tiebreak as well. Sharapova's serving and groundstrokes have not been especially top-notch. Furthermore, Sharapova seems to be less confident in her strokes. But her loss cannot all be due to her skill. The red clay of the French Open Roland Garros is taxing on the body and requires quick footwork, which is not one of Maria Sharapova's strengths. Safina's success at the French Open Roland Garros displays her improvement and defiance of her brother's criticism.

Although Maria Sharapova has struggled to succeed at the French Open, she has made some improvements. But Sharapova needs to step up her game and win at Wimbledon. Wimbledon was Maria Sharapova's first Grand Slam win. Her hard hitting game is perfectly suited for the fast paced grass courts of the All England Club as opposed to the French Open. Hopefully, Sharapova will be able to step it up and perform much better on the slick grass with her powerful serve and penetrating ground strokes. Of course, we all cannot forget Maria Sharapova's piercing grunts that echo throughout the court. But if they contribute to her success, there is no reason why she should stop.

While the hard hitting Russian falls at the 2008 French Open Roland Garros, hopefully she can turn her year around soon.