Less than a week into the French Open women's draw and a familiar name has emerged as the favorite. And nowhere do the names "Serena" or "Williams" appear anywhere after Wednesday's results.
Madrid title not enough for Maria Sharapova to overcome Serena Williams?
No. 7 seed Maria Sharapova is through to the third round, which in the 2014 French Open appears to be something of an accomplishment after both Serena and Venus Williams lost in the second round, and the No. 2 seed Li Na lost in the opening round.
It's the first time since the Open era began in 1968 that the top two women's seeds were out of a Grand Slam before the third round.
Sharapova had her own early struggles in the second round against Bulgaria's Tsvetana Pironkova, falling behind a break in the first set before finding her game in a 7-5, 6-2 victory.
After the match, Sharapova naturally refused to address the upsets in the women's draw that didn't have anything to do with her.
Olympic torch duty rekindles Maria Sharapova's inspiration
"You always have to follow your path and always concentrate on your work and who's ahead of you and not get worried about what's going on," Sharapova said, according to asia.eurosport.com. "Obviously when you go on court you're aware of a lot of the upsets, not just in the women but in the men, as well." So it's great to get a win in that type of atmosphere."
It also has to be comforting for Sharapova to know that No. 1 Serena, who has beaten Sharapova in 15 consecutive matches that included their meeting in last year's French Open final, is no longer around.
Sharapova also is the 2012 French Open champion and has proven herself as one of the best players in the world on clay.
She will face the winner of the Monica Niculescu-Paula Ormaechea match in the third round, and her toughest match until the semifinals could be her fourth-round matchup against the winner between No. 9 seed Dominika Cibulkova and No. 19 Sam Stosur.
Not that she's looking ahead. But as the rest of us do, it's hard not to consider her the player to beat next weekend at Roland Garros.
Do you think Maria Sharapova is the French Open favorite in the absence of Serena Williams and Li Na? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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