Sharapova–S. Williams rivalry

The Sharapova–S. Williams rivalry was a tennis rivalry between Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams, who met 22 times between 2004 and 2019. Their overall head-to-head was 20–2 favoring Williams, Williams leading 8–1 in Grand Slam meetings, and 3–1 in Grand Slam finals.[1] Their last meeting in a Grand Slam final was at the 2015 Australian Open.[2]

Maria Sharapova
Serena Williams
Maria Sharapova (left) and Serena Williams (right) won 28 Grand Slam singles titles together. They held the number one position on the WTA rankings for 340 weeks.

Williams and Sharapova played a total of 48 sets. Of these, 41 were won by Williams and 7 by Sharapova. Five of the sets won by Sharapova were during the 2004–2005 period, at the beginning of the rivalry, when Sharapova managed to secure her only two wins. After 2005, Sharapova only won 2 more sets, in 2008 and 2013.

The most lopsided match between these two players was in the women's singles final at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There, Williams beat Sharapova (6–0, 6–1), in a match that lasted for 62 minutes.[3]

In a 2012 interview, Sharapova said her toughest opponent was Monica Seles.[4] Williams held the number one position on the WTA Singles Rankings for 319 weeks, Sharapova for 21 weeks.[5]

Head-to-head
Legend Maria Sharapova Serena Williams
Grand Slam 1 8
WTA Tour Championships 1 1
WTA Tier I / Premier Mandatory / Premier 5 0 8
WTA Tier II / Premier 0 2
Olympics 0 1
Total 2 20

Maria Sharapova–Serena Williams (2–20)

No. Year Tournament Tier Surface Round Winner Score Sharapova S. Williams
1. 2004 Miami Masters Tier I Hard Round of 16 Serena Williams 6–4, 6–3 0 1
2. 2004 Wimbledon Grand Slam Grass Final Maria Sharapova 6–1, 6–4 1 1
3. 2004 WTA Championships Tour Finals Hard Final Maria Sharapova 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 2 1
4. 2005 Australian Open Grand Slam Hard Semifinals Serena Williams 2–6, 7–5, 8–6 2 2
5. 2007 Australian Open Grand Slam Hard Final Serena Williams 6–1, 6–2 2 3
6. 2007 Miami Masters Tier I Hard Round of 16 Serena Williams 6–1, 6–1 2 4
7. 2008 Charleston Open Tier I Clay Quarterfinals Serena Williams 7–5, 4–6, 6–1 2 5
8. 2010 Wimbledon Grand Slam Grass Round of 16 Serena Williams 7–6(11–9), 6–4 2 6
9. 2011 Stanford Premier Hard Quarterfinals Serena Williams 6–1, 6–3 2 7
10. 2012 Madrid Masters Premier Mandatory Clay Quarterfinals Serena Williams 6–1, 6–3 2 8
11. 2012 Olympics Tennis Olympics Grass Final Serena Williams 6–0, 6–1 2 9
12. 2012 WTA Championships Tour Finals Hard Final Serena Williams 6–4, 6–3 2 10
13. 2013 Doha Premier 5 Hard Semifinals Serena Williams 6–3, 6–2 2 11
14. 2013 Miami Masters Premier Mandatory Hard Final Serena Williams 4–6, 6–3, 6–0 2 12
15. 2013 Madrid Masters Premier Mandatory Clay Final Serena Williams 6–1, 6–4 2 13
16. 2013 Roland Garros Grand Slam Clay Final Serena Williams 6–4, 6–4 2 14
17. 2014 Brisbane Premier Hard Semifinals Serena Williams 6–2, 7–6(9–7) 2 15
18. 2014 Miami Masters Premier Mandatory Hard Semifinals Serena Williams 6–4, 6–3 2 16
19. 2015 Australian Open Grand Slam Hard Final Serena Williams 6–3, 7–6(7–5) 2 17
20. 2015 Wimbledon Grand Slam Grass Semifinals Serena Williams 6–2, 6–4 2 18
21. 2016 Australian Open Grand Slam Hard Quarterfinals Serena Williams 6–4, 6–1 2 19
22. 2019 US Open Grand Slam Hard Round of 128 Serena Williams 6–1, 6–1 2 20

Breakdown of the rivalry
  • Hard courts: Serena Williams, 13–1
  • Clay courts: Serena Williams, 4–0
  • Grass courts: Serena Williams, 3–1
  • Indoor carpet: none
  • Grand Slam matches: Serena Williams, 8–1
  • Grand Slam finals: Serena Williams, 3–1
  • Year-End Championships matches: 1–1
  • Year-End Championships finals: 1–1
  • Fed Cup matches: none
  • All finals: Serena Williams, 7–2

See also

References
  1. ITF Tennis - Maria Sharapova vs. Serena Williams head to head
  2. "Serena Williams dominates Maria Sharapova, takes claim as world's most dominant athlete", Chris Chase, USA Today, January 31, 2015
  3. "The Golden Slam: How Serena Williams Won a Historic Olympic Medal at Wimbledon", Sean Gregory, Time, August 4, 2012
  4. "Azarenka, Radwanska, Na, Kvitova, Kerber, Sharapova answer CNN's quickfire questions", YouTube, July 1, 2014
  5. WTA official website - Singles Rankings
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