French Open Tennis 2013: What to Watch for on Day 12 at Roland Garros

The intensity will continue to increase on Thursday at the 2013 French Open as a pair of women's singles semifinal showdowns highlight the Day 12 schedule at Roland Garros.

Defending French Open champion Maria Sharapova will look to reach the women's final for the second straight year while her opponent, third-seeded Victoria Azarenka takes aim at her first-ever French Open final.

In the day's second semifinal, women's overall top seed Serena Williams will battle last year's runner-up Sara Errani for the right to play for a major championship on Saturday.

Here we'll break down what tennis fans should be watching for on Thursday.

Where: Roland Garros, Paris, France

When: Thursday, June 6 at 9 a.m. ET

Watch: ESPN2

Coverage: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. ET

Live Stream: ESPN3.com

Who Will Own the Next Chapter of Maria Sharapova vs. Victoria Azarenka?

Female tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Victoria Azarenka have played some memorable matches over the years, but many have gone to the younger Azarenka. 

The 23-year-old Belarusian is 7-5 against the defending French Open champion dating back to 2007, and is 2-0 against the Russian star in Grand Slam tournaments. Unfortunately for Azarenka, Sharapova has the edge on clay, having won both meetings on the surface.

But the question is: How will Sharapova respond the pressures of Thursday's match?

Azarenka beat her easily in the 2012 Australian Open final, and then battled back to beat her comfortably in the 2012 U.S. Open semifinals after dropping the first set. 

Although Vika fares better on the faster-playing hard courts, Roland Garros represents one of the biggest and brightest stages in the sport, and there's the potential that Sharapova, who can sometimes be her own worst enemy in big matches, is overwhelmed by that on Thursday.

A two-time Australian Open champion and a U.S. Open finalist, Azarenka, like Sharapova, has reached the semifinals at each of the four Grand Slams and certainly won't be shell-shocked on Court Philippe Chatrier on Thursday (via Roland Garros):

Keep in mind that Sharapova won the last matchup between these two last year in Istanbul on the indoor hard court.

Can Sara Errani Break Through Against Serena Williams?

Italian doubles star Sara Errani has yet to beat current women's world No. 1 Serena Williams, having lost to her five times since 2008.

But there's hope for the 26-year-old underdog on Thursday. Williams showed some vulnerability in the quarterfinals, dropping a set to Svetlana Kuznetsova. Prior to Tuesday's three-set win, it had been smooth sailing for the 15-time Grand Slam champion at Roland Garros.

Errani is 0-2 against Williams all time on clay, but played her tough in the opening set of their match last month at the Madrid Open, losing in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2.

Still, Errani is well aware of the challenging task at hand on Thursday, telling Matthew Cronin:

"

It's for sure very difficult because she's very strong. Physically she's an incredible athlete, so it's not easy to play against her because she has a lot of power. Maybe on clay it’s a bit better than other surfaces, but it will be tough, very tough.

"

Like Williams, Errani has dropped just one set coming into the semifinals. Both have been playing lights-out tennis as well. Williams has recorded 69 winners over her last two matches while Errani has connected on 63 over that same amount of time.

Williams' serve and power will be the difference, though. She is the overwhelming favorite thanks to her unrivaled strength and speed, and why not?

Williams has dropped just one set to Errani over the course of their five meetings.

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