French Open 2015 Women's Final: TV Schedule, Start Time and Live Stream Info
The road to the French Open final has proved extremely difficult for world No. 1 Serena Williams, but she has put herself in position to win the 20th Grand Slam title of her illustrious career if she can get past 13th-seeded Lucie Safarova Saturday.
Plenty of unexpected names made deep runs in the women's draw, including Safarova, and Williams was in danger of being ousted on several occasions. She has persevered and is now on the brink of her third championship at Roland Garros, but her inconsistent play sets the stage for an intriguing clash.
Here is everything you need to know about when and where to watch the women's singles final at the French Open, as well as a prediction for who will ultimately come out on top.
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Where: Stade Roland Garros in Paris
When: Saturday, June 6, at 9 a.m. ET
Watch: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Breaking Down Serena Williams
As arguably the greatest women's tennis player of all time, Williams is used to dominating her competition. The bulk of her Grand Slam titles have come as a result of essentially running her opponents off the court, but that certainly hasn't been the case in this year's French Open.
Williams enters the final having been pushed to three sets on four occasions in this tournament. She was very nearly eliminated by Victoria Azarenka in the third round before battling back, and she overcame a poor start to get past Timea Bacsinszky in the semifinals as well.
The American superstar was clearly in distress for much of her match against Bacsinszky, and that is due to the fact that she was battling an illness, according to Ben Rothenberg of the New York Times:
Despite her obvious limitations, Williams was able to hang in there and push her way into the final. She was especially impressive in the third set as she held Bacsinszky to a goose egg.
As pointed out by former Duke basketball star Nolan Smith, Williams' performance was quite reminiscent of Michael Jordan dropping 38 points for the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals against the Utah Jazz even though he was sick:
Williams seemingly felt that way as well since she believed the odds were stacked against her due to the fact that her body was failing her to some degree, per ESPN's Howard Bryant:
Many athletes like to view themselves as underdogs as a motivational tactic. Williams will be heavily favored to defeat Safarova even if her illness persists, but she may be able to use that circumstance to her advantage.
If her sickness doesn't improve, though, she is certainly susceptible to losing the final. Safarova has taken down some big-time players en route to the title match, and she is playing the best tennis of her career, so the result is far from a sure thing.
Breaking Down Lucie Safarova
Safarova has long hovered around the top 20 and top 15 in the world rankings, but she has never been able to score a true breakthrough win. That changed Thursday, though, as the 28-year-old veteran defeated Ana Ivanovic 7-5, 7-5 in the semifinals to reach the first Grand Slam final of her career.
She also ended a lengthy drought for Czech women in the French Open final, according to ESPN Stats & Info:
Safarova's trip to the final could be described as a Cinderella run, but she hasn't looked the part of an underdog by any means. She has yet to drop a set in the tournament, and she has beaten established stars such as defending French Open champion Maria Sharapova along the way.
She has also performed remarkably well under pressure by winning all five of the tiebreaks she has taken part in. When she sees Williams across the court from her during Saturday's final, though, it will be unlike anything she has ever experienced.
After defeating Ivanovic, Safarova acknowledged that she almost couldn't believe that she had finally put herself in position to win a Grand Slam title.
"[It hasn't sunken in] yet," Safarova said, per WTATennis.com. "It's slowly sinking in, and it's just amazing. The happiness is unreal. ... It's my 12th year on tour, and to reach this finally, you appreciate it much more, I think."
Unfortunately for Safarova, she won't have much time to enjoy her accomplishment. She is scheduled to face perhaps the most powerful and dominant player in the history of women's tennis, and her experience disadvantage in Grand Slam finals is significant.
Safarova is the healthier and fresher player since Williams has been pushed to the brink on numerous occasions in this tournament, and she has to hope that those factors are enough to help her pull off a massive upset.
Prediction
Williams versus Safarova isn't the French Open final that most expected, but based on the manner in which both players have performed at Roland Garros thus far, it has all the makings of a fantastic match that could go right down to the wire.
Williams has displayed a remarkable ability to overcome adversity, while Safarova hasn't had to face much of it, so something has to give Saturday.
Safarova has given Williams some issues in the past by pushing her to three sets on three occasions, including their most recent encounter in Beijing last year. Williams has prevailed each time, though, and holds an 8-0 career mark against the Czech underdog.
Based on their history together and the manner in which both players are trending, the French Open final will be decided in three sets, and just as Williams has done four times already at Roland Garros, she will come through on the big stage when the pressure is greatest.
Safarova has the talent and is in good enough form to give Williams all she can handle, but Williams' Grand Slam experience will allow her to prevail in three sets.
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