French Open: Maria Sharapova seeks to stem the tide of youth against Garbine Muguruza

Sharapova's relief after surviving Samantha Stosur

It has been nearly five years since any woman outclassed both Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams at the same event. Garbine Muguruza, in the first Grand Slam quarterfinal of her career, will have broken through big time if she can achieve that today on Phillippe Chatrier.

The Russian earned her spurs so long ago, that even though in her 20s, she seems like a veteran. The 27-year-old has four Grand Slam trophies in her vault, but is hungry for more as she showed during her match against Samantha Stosur. We will have an interesting battle on our hands when the two ladies meet for a place in the semifinals.

Sharapova and Muguruza followed each other on court for practice this morning. The latter did not hesitate to walk straight to the court even though the Russian was still on it. Sharapova’s time was up and the court belonged to Muguruza and her team. The two did not greet each other – Maria did steal a glance, but Muguruza kept her gaze elsewhere.

The Spaniard, who could accept Venezuelan colours later this year, walked with a strapping on her left thigh and seemed to tread carefully on that leg. We will have to see if it is a niggle that can be managed or something that has a bearing on the outcome.

The two have met only once – in Italy last year, where Maria came through 6-2, 6-2. But the 20-year-old from Spain has come a long way since then.

Here is a look at the three key elements that might determine the outcome of this promising contest between the 2012 champion and the aspiring star.

Harness strengths: Muguruza has a powerful forehand and a flowing backhand that earn her plenty of valuable points with those down the line winners. She is an aggressive player and likes to play inside the court. Against Sharapova though, we will need to see how that plays out. The Russian is solid off both flanks and drives deep, pushing her opponents into defense. Sharapova has worked on her returns so much so that it is now a weapon for her, so Muguruza will have no choice but to bring her first serve to the table. The second serve will be treated with disdain by Maria.

Rein in weaknesses: Aggression is a double edged sword and both players are ultra-aggressive. In her match against Serena, Muguruza made 38 errors to just 23 winners – a negative differential like that will almost certainly be punished by Sharapova. So the Spaniard will need to get her consistency to the court from the moment they start play.

For a woman who rose to prominence with a glorious run at the 2004 Wimbledon, Maria still deals with demons on her serve and is very shaky at the net. So she will need to get a high first serve percentage into play or suffer at the hands of her younger opponent. It will also be interesting to see if Muguruza can adapt her style today to lure Sharapova to the net.

Garbine Muguruza's joy on reaching the quarters

Experience, and the lack of it: Sharapova has the big edge here. She has been in the final the past two years and the absence of Serena across the net is more than she could ask for at this stage of the tournament. Her tremendous resilience has helped her stay alive and will continue to serve her as she seeks to take this run into the weekend. Sharapova was just six points from defeat when she sprang to life and ran away with nine straight games against Stosur. But Muguruza has never been this far and any nervous slip ups or a slouchy start could lay to rest her lofty aspirations.