Australian Open 2012: Maria Sharapova Will School Victoria Azarenka in the Final

No. 3 seed Victoria Azarenka is playing amazing tennis, but she will be outdone in the Australian Open final by a woman that is on a mission right now. Maria Sharapova will prove that experience means a great deal at the Aussie. 

There are almost too many subplots to count. Youth, experience and the No. 1 title is on the line when Sharapova takes on the Belarusian in the final during Day 13 action. 

The 24-year-old Sharapova may be just two years Azarenka's senior, but she has loads more experience and is by far the more battle-tested player in this match. 

Sharapova is preparing for her sixth Grand Slam final and can still taste the defeat from last year's Wimbledon. There is no way that she lets this elusive Grand Slam leave her hands. 

It's important to note that the two are 3-3 in head-to-head meetings. Azarenka beat the Russian star in straight sets at Stanford in 2010 and in Florida last year.

This is not the same Sharapova though.

As we have seen, the health issues and injuries are well behind her. The tenuous shoulder problems are a thing of the past, not that the surprise of her has been lost on Sharapova. Via USA Today:

"

With the shoulder, I knew some examples of some people that did not quite recover from surgery and that was a little frightening, but I really had no option. Of course it took a long time and it was a process, but it was just something that was in my steps that I had to go through. And I did.

"

Sharapova has shown that she has the power and defense to match anyone in the world. There is one thing that is missing from Azarenka's game that will serve to push Sharapova over the top. 

The tennis star with three Grand Slams under her belt has been far more poised as of late, and that will serve Sharapova well in the match on Day 13. 

Against Petra Kvitova, Sharapova could have crumbled under the enormity of the situation. Instead, it was Kvitova that suffered late unforced errors and gave the match away. 

I am not saying that Azarenka will befall the same fate; rather that Sharapova is proving immune to such exploits right now. 

She will grunt when she pleases, and shoot an ice-queen stare. Sharapova is doing it her way right now, and that is why she will reign supreme in mere hours. 

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