Stephens v Sharapova Tip

There’s just a sniff of an upset in the air here and at best odds of 8/1 (Sportingbet) I feel inclined to side with rising star Sloane Stephens to beat defending champion Maria Sharapova.

The young American has the athleticism to really trouble her opponent if she arrives with her ‘A-game’ on Monday. The likelihood of that happening depends on whether she is already developing the knack of saving her best for the big occasion.

I suspect she is, and we only need to cast our minds back to the Australian Open, the last Grand Slam tournament, for proof of that. There, the then-teenager defeated the mighty Serena Williams in the quarter-finals before only succumbing to Victoria Azarenka in the semis.

For her part, Sharapova was some way short of her best in round three against Zheng Jie after labouring to a 7-5 triumph in the second set. The Russian star has exited the French Open at the fourth round stage or earlier four times before, and should not be seen as a 1/12 shot here.