On a spectacular Summer Day in January 2008, the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia, was the center of the tennis world as a dramatic, hard fought match unfolded before a boisterous and wildly enthusiastic packed house.  This was more than a tennis match.  The fifth seeded, 20 year old, 6 foot, 130 pound, Russian blonde bombshell, Maria Sharapova, took on the popular, 20 year old, 6 foot, 160 pound, fourth seeded, finely tuned, dark-haired Serbian beauty, Ana Ivanovic.  These two superstars treated the enthusiastic crowd to power tennis as they traded baseline blasts through a stirring two-set Australian Open 2008 final

Serbian flags waved as red-clad admirers loudly supported Ivanovic, who was participating in her second grand slam final.  Ana’s uncle lives near Melbourne in Medone and the Aussie crowd quickly established her as a hometown favorite.

The underdog role seemed to inspire the former world’s number one player. Maria Sharapova started tentatively, but gained both composure and confidence as the match played out.  Long known for her trademark power grunts, Sharapova held her form and survived a 0-30 start in the pivotal tenth game of the first set.  This key game treated the fans to breathtaking volleys and impossible retrieves as both players stepped up their play.  Sharapova’s comeback tenth game service hold seemed to take the wind out from Ana’s sail as she fell 7-5 in the first set.  Sharapova credited her former grand slam experience and a commitment to patience in holding the 10th game.

The two up-and-coming superstar glamour girls are well known to each other.  Prior to the Australian finals, the two players had faced each other four times, splitting the two matches.  On route to her first and only grand slam final, Ivanovic bested Sharapova in the semifinals in an upset that had Maria on her heels.  The 2008 Australian Open was Ana’s second grand slam final.  Maria has now garnered four Grand Slam titles.  With previous wins at Wimbledon, The U.S. Open and the French Open, Sharapova can proudly declare that she has won all four of the game’s biggest events before the age of 21.

Maria, with more than 10 million USD in career earnings, seemed unnerved by the crowd’s loud support of Ana Ivanovic and started slowly.  Ivanovic, with more than 3 million USD in career earnings, showed intensity throughout the match.  After her first set victory, Sharapova continued to force play.  She cashed in on her first set success and cruised to a 6-3 second set win on way to the title.

Through their first 12 matches, the two finalists had lost only one set in the tournament.  Sharapova, who battled injuries during 2007, did not lose a set in playing her way past first seed Justine Henin, Lindsay Davenport, fellow Russian, Elena Dementieva and another up and coming Russian, Elena Vesnina with relative ease.

Meanwhile, Ivanovic was no less dominant powering her way past American Venus Williams, Dane Caroline Wozniacki and Daniela Hantuchova in three sets to earn her berth in the finals.  Her demure, determined temperament earned fan support every step of the way.

In the end, the numbers told the tale.  Although Maria was only successful on 54% of her first serves, she won an astounding 89% of those points and won 70% of her second serves.  While Ana landed 62% of her first serves, she was only victorious on 62% of those points and only 50% of her second serves.

The stately Sharapova committed 15 unforced errors, while her beautiful Serbian counterpart made 33 unforced errors.  The crowd moaned and groaned their disappointment, but remained as relentless as Sharapova’s forceful ground strokes.  Maria took the net only 10 times and won 8 of those salvos.  Ana charged forward 12 times, winning only 7 of those assaults.

Ivanovic took heart from the fact that her performance in the Open elevated her ranking to number two in the world.  Maria remained the fifth ranked world player.

Following the match, Maria credited Billie Jean King with her recovery and resurgent play.  King has encouraged Maria throughout her injury-plagued year.  Both finalists commented that, despite their successes, they felt their games were bound to improve.  This bodes ominously on the rest of the women contenders.

It is hard not to like both players.  Graced with power, stunning looks, incredible fitness and determination, these 20 year old phenoms represent the beauty, grace and power that captivate large fan bases and delight tournament organizers.  21st century women’s tennis is about fitness, power and endurance and these two ladies exemplify why the Australian Open drew more fans than any Grand Slam event ever.

While Maria staked her claim to the 2008 Australian Open, Ana established herself as a force for the remainder of 2008 and as a figure to watch in the 2009 Grand Slam opener at Melbourne.  As a fan favorite with roots in Australia, the Rod Laver Arena will most likely resound with more shouts of “Wonder Ana” and “Australia Loves Ana” when Ivanovic returns in January 2009.

Sharapova continues to exercise her shoulder.  Slightly more slender than Ana, Maria has not been able to establish herself as a durable star.  When Maria is on her game rocketing serves and blistering ground strokes, she appears invincible.  In fact, during the Open, she only double faulted 17 times in seven matches.  She usually wins more than 80% of these first serve points.

Both players are constantly bombarded with advertising and promotional opportunities.  Somehow, these young women find time to train and work on their games as they juggle a heavy travel schedule.  What the finals of the 2008 Australian Open showed the public is the incredible growth in women’s tennis.  The pure athleticism of these gifted performers emphasized the stunning appeal the future of women’s tennis holds.  Congratulations ladies!  How about a re-run in Australian Open 2009?