Creature Vs. Creature: How Bad Does Safina Want the Oz Open?

The women's Australian Open final appears to be a precarious event with the scales ready to tip either way. Statisticians, think logically and if stats be given a look, it should be Serena as the favourite: 2003, 2005, 2007....

But can Dinara Safina be counted out? She came close to winning the French Open last year by reaching the finals but lost to the eventual winner, Ana Ivanovic. But where Ivanovic's form literally has deserted her after Roland Garros, Safina is learning and improving day by day.

So who will it be? This article is a creature vs. creature presented in two halves: one by me and the other by JAA. We have considered both players, pro and con, in each article and other affectations too. This one's about Dinara while Jaa has done about Serena.

Safina will win if: She maintains her concentration levels, controls her fluctuations and unforced errors. She cannot do what she did against Alize Cornet. Unlike Cornet, Serena won't give her any loose chance of comeback.

She needs to maintain consistency right from the start to the end so as to keep her ground in the game. Confidence matters most this time and if Safina retains her self-belief then she can definitely win the Oz Open this time.

Safina will lose if: Serena Williams plays like the one who is possessed or even the way she did against Dementieva will suffice. Putting pressure on Safina will reinforce Serena's unequivocal dominance in the game.

Also, Serena comes into the competition displaying flairs of her former self, winning at Flushing Meadows. If she decides to go with that image, Safina could sure be having problems. Right now, Safina's game is nowhere near her best and if Serena takes advantage of that, she could well be out in straight ones.

Intangibles: When the quarterfinal match between Jelena Dokic and Dinara Safina was on, the crowd gravitated towards Dokic. No, they weren't unruly, only more vocal in Dokic's favour so much so that after the match got over, Safina had to say "sorry " to the crowd for defeating Dokic and literally was praying that the crowd would support her next time when she plays.

Crowd behaviour holds importance in this case. Serena, after having won thrice here, will definitely be the prioritized favourite and since it will be almost full attendance, Safina has to take that as well [with a pinch of salt, if necessary] to fight.

Nerves coupled with anticipation is an omnipresent factor in this game like the others but the finalist who deals with the nerves better and converts the anticipation into a full product will be the winner. The question just is, is Safina capable of handling it?

Por Favor Serena, read JAA's perspective.