French Open 2012 Predictions: Projections for Women's Final

With so many big names in the field at the 2012 French Open, it's hard to narrow it down to two that will eventually meet in the women's final. However, when push comes to shove, it will end with a showdown of the best in the world: Victoria Azarenka vs. Maria Sharapova.

Make no mistake, there is no doubting that Azarenka is the best in the world. Her No.1 WTA ranking dares you to prove otherwise. She's collected four singles titles this year and has a 35-3 record in 2012.

Sharapova is just a notch behind in the rankings at No. 2, but she's just as good as Azarenka, and some would argue that she's better. At the very least, she has the potential to be better. She has the potential to be the best women's tennis player in the world.

Sharapova has won two singles titles this season and has a record of 29-5, but she's much more than the numbers right now.

She comes into the French Open with a ton of momentum garnered from her win at the WTA Internazionali BNL d'Italia. It was a tournament win that saw her beat No. 13 ranked Ana Ivanovic in the third round, Venus Williams in the quarterfinals, No. 12 ranked Angelique Kerber in the semifinals, and No. 8 ranked Li Na in the Final.

Sharapova has been impressive, but Azarenka still holds that No. 1 spot and that's what would make this potential French Open Finals matchup so intriguing.

They've met in finals three times already this year, with Azarenka snagging wins at the Australian Open and WTA BNP Paribas Open, while Sharapova beat the world No. 1 at the WTA Tour Porsche Tennis Grand Prix.

It only seems fitting that these two superstars meet in another final, but only one of them will be able to walk away the winner.

Drum roll please...

Predicted Winner: Maria Sharapova

Sharapova played great in Rome and should have a considerable amount of momentum coming into the French Open. She's overdue for a huge finals win, and this would be exactly that. I expect this final to be one of the great ones in French Open history, with Sharapova coming away with an epic win.