Australian Open 2012: Victoria Azarenka vs. Maria Sharapova Will Be a Scream

Tennis never sounded this, well, loud.

The top ranking at the women's game will be on the line when Victoria Azarenka meets Maria Sharapova in the Australian Open final, though one of the storylines going into the game will be the decibels the two players reach with their screams.

That's right, the WTA Tour's two most prolific screamers face off in the final. You might want to watch on mute.

But beyond all that noise is a very compelling final, one I think the more experienced Sharapova—she of the three Grand Slam titles while Azarenka will be competing in her first Grand Slam final—will win.

Azarenka did well to escape a second set completely dominated by Kim Clijsters, controlling her emotions and handling her business in the third set. Her strategy of attacking Clijsters' second serve, for lack of a better term, served her well throughout the match.

Meanwhile, Sharapova was fortunate in many respects to advance past Petra Kvitova in the semifinals. Kvitova's powerful returns seemed destined to break Sharapova in the final set—really, for much of the match—but she was simply unable to, finishing with only three breaks in 14 attempts.

In a match where Sharapova seemed overpowered—something she most certainly is not accustomed to—her resolve and focus helped her steal a match she very easily could have lost.

It's that resolve and Sharapova's experience that make me think she'll defeat Azarenka. 

But I expect an extremely competitive match between these two, who have split the six matches they've played. Both are power players who will loudly spend most of the match ripping big serves and powerful, two-handed backhands at the other.

If this match is anything like the two semifinal matches, it should be a classic.

Here's the rest of the Australian Open schedule through the weekend:

Date	Round	Time	Network
Thu., Jan. 26	Women Doubles Final	11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.	Tennis Channel
Fri., Jan. 27	Men Semifinals	3:30 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.	ESPN2
Sat., Jan. 28	Women Final	3:00 a.m. to 5:30 a.m.	ESPN2
Sat., Jan. 28	Men Doubles Final	5:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m.	Tennis Channel
Sun., Jan. 29	Mixed Doubles Final	12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.	Tennis Channel
Sun., Jan. 29	Men Final	3:00 a.m. to 6:30 a.m.	ESPN2

For re-air times, be sure to check out this schedule from Sports Illustrated.

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