Only three of eleven break points converted and 33 unforced errors ensured Sharapova's loss to the left-handed and aggressive Kerber who wasn't as intimidated by the three-time Grand Slam champion as in their recent and only previous meeting at the Australian Open.  The 27th-ranked Kerber had a perfect conversion rate on her five break points, coming back from 4-2 down in the first set and from 3-1 down in the second.

Kerber scored her first Top 5 win and her victory is even bigger given the fact that Sharapova played the Australian Open final only two weeks ago.

Next tournament on Sharapova's calendar is the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, which starts on March 7. Before that, on March 5, Sharapova will play an exhibition match with Caroline Wozniacki in New York, as part of the BNP Paribas Showdown. (photo: Lawntennisnews)

Maria Sharapova does not enjoy the freezing European weather, although the smiling face next to a Paris Christmas tree still surviving in February could make your believe otherwise. However, the extreme cold didn't stop the Open GDF Suez top seed to beat world No.44 Chanelle Scheepers 6-3 6-1 and move into the quarterfinals after a first round bye. And that's not all, the victory has assured Sharapova's rise to No.2 in the WTA rankings as of Monday, February 13.

I may be hard to believe, but the experienced Russian is playing the Paris tournament for the first time. It's not that she was skipping it on purpose, but complicated scheduling, injuries and sickness got in the way on so many occasions.

Sharapova's quarterfinal will be on Friday and she will play either ninth seed Angelique Kerber or Monica Niculescu. Against Kerber Sharapova had a 6-1 6-2 victory at the recent Australian Open and it's been their one and only encounter, while she has never faced Monica Niculescu. (photo via Sharapova's Facebook page)

Today is a big day for women's tennis, as we have a new number one – Victoria Azarenka. The Belarusian dethroned Caroline Wozniacki from the top position by winning her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open over the weekend. Let's see the numbers behind Azarenka's 6-3 6-0 victory over Maria Sharapova in the Melbourne final. Thanks, Omair, for contributing another statistical analysis to Women's Tennis Blog.

When Maria Sharapova walked on the Centre Court at Wimbledom last year, she intended to complete her comeback from shoulder injury by winning the tournament that she had won back in 2004 at the age of 17. However, Petra Kvitova had other plans. Sharapova ended up losing the Wimbledon final and hence a chance to complete her comeback. In the Australian Open final, as Sharapova walked onto the Rod Laver Arena, she knew she had another chance to complete her comeback. Last year at Centre Court it was against young gun Kvitova, and this year at Rod Laver Arena it was against another youngster, Azarenka.

There is a remarkable similarity between the two scenarios. It was Kvitova's first major final (before making the final, it was Kvitova's second Grand Slam semifinal appearance, the first one coming at Wimbledon 2010, where she lost to the eventual champion Serena Williams in the semis). The same was true here for Azarenka. It was her first major final in her second attempt at the semifinals (her last semifinal appearance came last year at Wimbledon where she also lost to the eventual champion, Kvitova).

I had picked Sharapova to win the Wimbledon last year, given the fact that it was Kvitova's first major final, added by the fact that Sharapova had the experience with her and she had played at that stage before. Still, Kvitova came out at the top. A remarkable similarity happened at this year's Australian Open. However, this year I picked Azarenka to win the trophy. There were a lot of similarities in this year's Australian Open final and last year's Wimbledon final, and so was the result. Azarenka came out at top ousting the 2008 Australian Open finalist in one of the most one-sided finals at the Australian Open.

It was Sharapova who started the match on fire, and it was Azarenka who was shaky and nervous at the start of the match throwing in two double faults in the opening game to hand Sharapova her first break. Sharapova held her serve to go up 2-0. Azarenka held and then broke Sharapova to bring the match back to serve. Sharapova while serving at 2-3 served her way out of deuce, by serving an ace wide and an ace down the T to hold her serve, which would have been her last hold of serve. From there on it was all Azarenka, it felt like it was Azarenka who was a three-time Grand Slam champion and Sharapova was the first time Grand Slam finalist. Azrenka took the first set 6-3 and bageled Sharapova in the second set.

Azarenka held her composure beautifully, showing that she is going to be a major force in the upcoming year. A great start of the year for Azarenka who kept her 2012 winning streak alive, and will no doubt look to build on it as the year progresses.

Let's see what the numbers tell us:

Sharapova's winning percentage on her first serve dropped drastically, as did the winning percentage on her second serve. She won only 3 of the 17 points of her second serve. What added fuel to the fire was her unforced errors, she had a differential of negative 16, whereas Azarenka had a differential of positive 2. Sharapova's return of serve, and her break point conversion which had been her greatest strengths also deserted her as she won only 37% of the receiving points and went 1 of 4 on the break point chances.

Azarenka who had gone to the 3 setters in her last 2 matches here at the Melbourne park, did not want to take this match to the distance as she upped her level and played cleanly and with great composure till the end. By the end of the day, Azarenka just out-classed Saharapova and she was just the better player today in each and every way.

Azarenka won more than a match, she won her first Grand Salm, she won the top spot in the rankings, she became the first ever Belarusian to win a top spot in tennis and to win a major, she became the only player in the WTA history to grab the top spot without ever being ranked world No.2 in her career before grabbing the top spot.

At the end of the match there were no hugs and kisses, just cold handshakes. For Sharapova, she will definitely need some time to get this defeat out of her mind. First it was Kvitova who denied Sharapova a chance at her first major after injury, and now it was Azarenka. In both those matches, Sharapova entered the match with greater experience and with greater chances to win the match as compared to her opponents, but both times she came out as the loser.

However, I believe that Sharapova's time will come soon, when she will complete her comeback and win her first major after her surgery. For now on it is all Azarenka. Before the final, Azarenka was asked in a conference if winning a major meant to her more or grabbing the top spot. She answered it in style, I don't remember the exact words, but something like "There is no better way to grab the top spot than by winning a major and there should be a balance between the two." Well said by Azarenka, and she proved it by her performance in the Melbourne final.

Omair, thank you very much for all your previews of Australian Open matches and your post-match analyses. Your contributions to Women's Tennis Blog have been marvelous and I hope that you will share your tennis insights with us for the long time to come. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Victoria Azarenka

Playing her first Grand Slam final, the third-seeded Azarenka started nervously by dropping serve in the first game of the match and finding herself 0-2 0-30 down. But from then on, she started playing aggressively, moving Sharapova around and neutralizing her power. From 3-3 in the first set, the match belonged only to Azarenka. 

If you look at the stats, Azarenka was drastically better than her fourth-seeded opponent in too many departments:

• Azarenka committed 12 unforced errors to Sharapova's 30
• Azarenka won 53% on second serve, compared to Sharapova's 18%
• Azarenka had 60% of receiving points won, while Sharapova won only 37%
• Azarenka converted 71% of break points, Sharapova only 25%
• Azarenka won 88% of net approaches, Sharapova more than twice less, 43%

Being the 2005 Australian Open junior champion and now winning the trophy as a pro, Azarenka has become the third woman in history to win the tournament both as a junior and as a senior.

Winning Sydney and the Australian Open this season, the 22-year-old has remained undefeated in 2012.

What do you think of Azarenka's victory? Are you surprised by the score in the final?

About the ranking, are you glad to see a new face on the top? Note that Caroline Wozniacki will fall from No.1 to No.4! (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Australian Open women's championship match will see two "ria's" facing each other, each trying to outgrunt the other. It will be one of the noisiest women's finals Australian Open has ever had, since both Maria and Victoria shriek loudly. My advice to the people intending to go and watch the match would be to take ear plugs with you or you might get your ears hurt. Ok enough of joking, let's see what we have in store for the final.

Seeing the form both players are taking into the final, it promises to be a great match. Both players have lost just two sets so far in the tournament, both losing one set in the quarterfinals and one in the semis. What is more interesting is that they both lost the same sets. Maria lost the first set in her quarterfinal against Sabine Lisicki, as did Azarenka against Radwanska. Maria lost the second set in her semifinal against Kvitova, as did Azarenka against Clijsters.

Both have not lost a match this year. Azarenka winning Sydney and carrying that momentum to the Australian Open, while Sharapova kick started her 2012 campaign at the Australian Open. Who will keep her winning streak intact in the final? Will it be Maria or Victoria?

The winner gets more than the Grand Slam trophy, the winner will get the honor of being the highest-ranked female tennis player on the planet as well. A win by Sharapova will return her to the top spot, while a win by Azarenka will mean a lot of things for her. She will become the first Belarusian ever to win a Grand Slam, the first Belarusian ever to attain the top spot, and the first player ever to grab the top spot without being world No.2 ever in her career, since the debut of rankings in 1975.

Their head-to-head is tied at 3-3. Their last encounter was won by Sharapova when Azarenka retired in Rome. The other two victories of Sharapova over Azarenka came in three sets, while Azarenka in her three wins has won in straight sets. Azarenka and Maria both enter the final in great shape and great form.

Let's see what their form so far in the tournament suggests:

Sharapova's first serve has so far been very good (considering that Sharapova's serve has been her liability since her comeback from the shoulder surgery), and so has been her winning percentage on her first and second serves. Sharapova's break point conversion rate has been very good so far, since she is one of the best returners on the tour at the moment, and if she wants to win, she will have to keep that up.

Since we have little to choose from, it will come down to two things:

1) Sharapova's serve – if it holds up for one more day, it will earn her a Grand Slam

2) Nerves - it is Azarenka's first major final. Sharapova has been here before and she knows what it takes to win. Whoever will handle her nerves better will come out on top.

I think Azarenka will come out at the top in three sets, if she continues the way she has been playing. Who do you think will come out at the top and win the first major of 2012?

Let's hope for great match and a great year. What a way to to kick start the slam season of this year, where we saw the three of top four players making it to the semis. Let's hope that they can keep this level up and going for the rest of the year.

Additional info: Check out Omair's post-match analytics of Sharapova's semifinal win over Petra Kvitova, quarterfinal win over Ekaterina Makarova, and Azarenka's defeat of Kim Clijsters in the semis, and quarterfinal victory over Agnieszka Radwanska. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Both Kvitova and Sharapova took the Rod Laver Arena today knowing that they both had a lot on the line: the No.1 ranking and a spot in the championship match. Kvitova had an edge coming into the match, for it was Kvitova who beat Sharapova on Center Court at Wimbledon in the title match last year in straight sets. Sharapova had revenge on her mind, and revenge was what she got at the end, along with a chance to grab the top spot and a chance to earn her second Australian Open trophy and fourth Grand Slam title.

Sharapova started the match on fire, walking away with the first set 6-2, and it seemed that Kvitova would bow out in straight sets. But we have seen that Kvitova is a fighter and she comes back to win matches. It was Kvitova's turn to show why she is world No.2 as she took the second set to send the match to a decisive third set. Again, it was Kvitova who looked sharper and on a roll, but Sharapova hung in there long enough to let the nerves get the better of Kvitova. Kvitova had a lot of chances to move ahead in the third set, but she just could not capitalise on them. In the end nerves got the better of Kvitova as her forehand sailed long to hand Sharapova the game, set and match. Both played some jaw-dropping tennis throughout the match.

Let's see what the numbers tell us about this match:

The two were equal in almost every department, and it is a shame that one had to lose. However, where Kvitova lost the match and where Sharapova won it was the break point conversion rate: Sharapova converted all five of her break points, while Kvitova could capitalise on only three of the 14 chances she got.

Sharapova silenced her critics with her performance today, and she showed what a true fighter she is and how she fights back and never gives up. It was her never-giving-up attitude that made her hang in the third set and ultimately win it.

Kvitova is only 21, and still learning and promises to be a major force in the years to come, Sharapova, 24, has shown us today that she is back from her shoulder injury completely and that she can compete at the top level again.

Sharapova has now reached the second Grand Slam final of the last three majors she has played, the other being Wimbledon last year. With Victoria Azarenka, the other Australian Open 2012 finalist, also in red hot form, this promises to be a great year if these players can keep this form going on for the whole year. We might be seeing the top players moving down deep into the draws more often this year. What a great start to a great year. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

When Kvitova and Sharapova meet for their semifinal, a lot of things will be out there on the line. They are both aware that whoever emerges victorious out of this encounter will keep alive her hope of attaining the top spot. Whoever wins the Australian Open other than Kim Clijsters will be the world No.1 when the rankings are released on Monday.

Sharapova has so far made it to the semifinals of the Australian Open four times (excluding this year's result), and has gone to the final twice. The two times she lost in the semis it was in three sets: in 2005 to eventual champion Serena Williams and in 2006 to Justine Henin. Will she make it to the finals this time and keep her hopes of regaining the top spot alive or will she bow out to the Czech power tower Kvitova?

As for Kvitova, this is her third Grand Slam semifinal and her first at the Australian Open. How will she fare in Melbourne? She obviously has the experience of playing and winning at the biggest stages of tennis, so she will not be fazed by the stage tomorrow.

So far Sharapova and Kvitova have faced each other three times, with Kvitova leading their head-to-head 2-1, although one of those victories came via retirement when Sharapova twisted her ankle at Tokyo last year in her match against Kvitova. However, Kvitova's other win came at the biggest stage of tennis, at the Wimbledon Centre Court in the championship match and she did that in style, beating Sharapova in straight sets. Will Sharapova be able to take revenge, only time will tell us.

Let's have a look at what the numbers tell us about their chances:

The stats tell us that Kvitova is not a great returner and she has not been very good at winning points on her second serve, and she will have to take into consideration that Sharapova is a great returner.

Kvitova will have to keep her serve under control, she will have to be more patient with points. Masha has an upper hand in the break point conversion ratio and the points won on the first and the second serves, but Kvitova comes on top when we look at the winners-UE differential.

There is not much that separates these two. What will be crucial in the match-up of two Wimbledon champions, one reigning and one former, will be how Kvitova wins points on her second serve, and how Sharapova's serve holds up.

Both Sharapova and Kvitova have so far lost one set in the tournament. However, Kvitova had concentration lapses in some of her matches and had problem in closing out the match, which will also be very crucial in her match against Sharapova.

Can Kvitova hold up her game long enough to outlast Sharapova or will it be Sharapova's day? If both are on fire, we all will be in for a treat. Who do you think will emerge out on top and who will you be rooting for? (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

Maria Sharapova took the Rod Laver Arena today with a purpose on her mind, she wanted to prove her doubters wrong, she wanted to show that she too can be a title threat without any match play before the Grand Slam event. She had every reason to be confident when she took the Rod Laver Arena, for she has never lost in the quarterfinals here at Melbourne.

Coming into today's match Sharapova was four out of four in her previous quarterfinals here at Melbourne and she kept that record intact by making it five out of five through to the semifinals.

When Makarova took the court today she had every reason to feel confident. She had beaten Vera Zvonareva in the third round and then topped it off by beating five-time Aussie Open champion Serena Williams in the fourth round. However, that did not help her much against Sharapova, and that did not intimidate Sharapova, who easily breezed past Makarova to book a semifinal clash with Kvitova.

Let us see what the numbers tell us:

Makarova could not keep the level up and going against Sharapova her first serve winning percentage fell. Still, more alarming was her winning percentage on the second serve that fell dramatically to 36%. If that was not enough she could not win points on Sharapova's serve as well, which is considered to be a liability in Sharapova's game. Her winning percentage on receiving points was only 36%. You can never win against Sharapova by winning only 36% of your second serves and 36% of the receiving points.

However, Makarova deserves every praise for her first Grand Slam quarterfinal appearance and she did that in style, by ousting a dark horse, a Top 10 player and a five-time Australian Open champion. I hope we can see more of such performances from Makarova.

What was interesting for Sharapova and may be confidence-boosting for her was her serve, she served at a whopping 77% first serve, and to add to that she won 71% of those 77% serves. That truly is remarkable for a player whose serve is her liability. What is more interesting is that Sharapova faced only two break points on her serve and saved one of those break points, she did not show any lapses of concentration unlike her future semifinal opponent Kvitova.

One department where Sharapova will be hoping to improve on will be her break point conversion rate in her semifinal clash against yet another "ova", since her break point conversion rate in this match was good enough to make her move past Makarova, but may not be good enough to make her move past Kvitova.

Wimbledon final rematch awaits us and promises to be a great match if both players are on fire. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)

One thing I am convinced on is that numbers don't lie, after the analyses I did for the first two quarterfinals. When Agnieszka Radwanska entered the match against Victoria Azarenka she was the cleaner player and she just had to play that way to beat Azarenka, but Azarenka was on fire, forcing Radwanska out of her comfort zone. Only if Radwanska had been able to reproduce those numbers in the quarterfinal she would have won, but she failed to do so. As for Wozniacki and Clijsters, the same thing happened to Wozniacki. The last Australian Open quarterfinal on the schedule pits two "ovas" against each other. One is Ekatarina Makarova and the other is Maria Sharapova.

Sharapova did not play any tune-up events in order to give her ankle, that she injured last year in her match against Kvitova, time to rest. Not even a single person considered Sharapova a title threat owing to her lack of play since her injury, and when the draw came out her chances of making it past the quarters looked even grimmer with a potential clash with Serena Williams in the quarterfinals, but here she is in the quarters and not against Williams but Williams' conqueror.

Makarova and Sharapova both have lost one set so far in the tournament. Sharapova enters the match as the favorite, and has beaten Makarova in both their encounters. However, Makarova's run here so far has shown that she can beat anyone on a given day, even in consecutive matches.

Makarova beat Kaia Kanepi in her second round, Vera Zvonareva in the third and Serena Williams in the fourth and as if that was not enough she never lost a set in those three encounters. Kanepi was being dubbed as a dark horse by many after her Brisbane win, while Zvonareva is a Top 10 player, and I don't think I need to say anything about Williams since we all know her, her fighting spirit and her credentials.

This is Makarova's first Grand Slam quarterfinal match, and if she keeps up the level she has been playing with, Sharapova should not be a problem, but we all know what a fighter Sharapova is, which she showed in her comeback win against Lisicki, who has one of the most powerful serves on the women's tour.

Sharapova is a great returner and the match will be on Sharapova's racquet, her serve has so far been good, but will it hold for another day and earn her a spot in the semifinals, and let her continue her quest to reach No.1, remains to be seen. Let's see what the numbers tell us.

Sharapova leads Makarova in almost every department other than the winning percentage on the second serve. This should be Sharapova's match unless her serve deserts her, as it has on several occasions. The stand out feature in the Sharapova's stats is her break point conversion rate. She has converted over 70% of the break point chances. It should be an interesting match.

I think Makarova will be fazed by her first quarterfinal at a Grand Slam, and Sharapova will win in straight sets. What do you see and who will you be rooting for? (photos: Stephane Martinache)

Caroline Wozniacki’s love life is booming, at least its online representation suggests that, and her fashion designer Stella McCartney opted for the color of passion for the world No.1’s Australian Open. Wozniacki accessorized the red dress with a heart-shaped Danish flag pendant that her boyfriend Rory McIlroy gave her for Christmas.

Adidas Adizero used a shade of red for their predominantly peach dress worn by Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova and Sorana Cirstea.

Serena Williams is wearing a blue Nike dress with wide tank straps and pleated bottom.

The American opened her Australian Open campaign with custom-made headband and sneakers celebrating Black History Month.

Notice the cute small balls adorning the socks!

Petra Kvitova is, as always, wearing a two-piece Nike outfit, style similar to her 2011 apparel.

Maria Sharapova is wearing a white Nike Maria Statement Slam Dress with electric green straps and a black Nike logo.

Fila is now all over the place, well-represented by Kim Clijsters, Svetlana Kuznetsova and the new additions to the family, Jelena Jankovic and Vera Zvonareva.

Defending champion Kim Clijsters is working a black V-neck shirt with lemon accents and the same shirt in white. A simple black skirt is always there.

Svetlana Kuznetsova is dressed similarly, exposing her "Pain doesn’t kill me, I kill the pain" tattoo.

Jelena Jankovic is still in her first month of promoting Fila, after her three-year contract with Anta has expired, and at the Australian Open she's looking great in an orange Center Court dress.

Another new Fila member, Vera Zvonareva, who used to wear K-Swiss, is in the neutral tones. Sweat marks are spoiling the image, though.

Bethanie Mattek Sands is not exciting us this time. Her look is absolutely toned down. In the photo below you can see her teamed up with Lacoste-clad Jarmila Gajdosova, wearing a very regular Under Armour long-sleeve bright yellow shirt and a white skirt. For her singles match in the first round, Bethanie wore a simple green tank.

Mentioning Lacoste, Samantha Stosur left the brand to sign with Asics, but her white Asics dress didn't get much exposure as the home favorite suffered an emotionally-painful upset in the very first round.

Whose Australian Open 2012 style is your favorite? For me, number ones are Ana Ivanovic, Daniela Hantuchova and Sorana Cirstea in the Adidas Adizero dress (Cirstea upset Stosur in it!), because of the daring combination of colors and a signature modern yet simple design of the line. The runner-up position I would award to Serena Williams' look. (photos: Adidas, Tidalist, Slice, Australian Open, Life)