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Williams says Sharapova should be the favorite in this fourth-rounder because she’s “been playing for a year,” while Serena herself “just started.” In 98 percent of tennis matches, that would be relevant to the outcome. So would the fact that Sharapova just played her best match since rejoining the tour, a 59-minute blowout of Karolina Pliskova. But those things don’t matter, because this is Serena vs. Maria. The former is 19-2 against the latter, and the last time Maria won, Rafael Nadal had yet to win a single French Open. Whatever Maria can do, Serena can do better—and that starts, most importantly, with her serve.
Can Serena still find motivation, at 36, to continue dominating Sharapova? Judging from her recent comments, it sounds as if she has already discovered all she needs from Sharapova’s 2017 autobiography. But that doesn’t really matter, either. Serena’s the favorite again because when these two play, she always takes her game to a place where Maria can’t follow. Winner: S. Williams
WATCH—Serena responds to what Sharapova said about her in her book: