Maria hopes Serena's numbers don't come up

If anyone paid any attention to the numbers, Maria Sharapova would be red-hot favorite to become the first Russian woman to win the Australian Open title on Saturday.

A grand slam final between a woman guaranteed to climb to the top of the rankings on Monday and the 81st best player in the world is as lopsided as it gets.

But when the 81st-ranked player happens to be Serena Williams, no one will dare write off the chances of the American comeback queen.

Now only Sharapova stands in the way of her becoming just the second unseeded woman to win the Australian Open crown in the professional era after Chris O'Neill in 1978.

Sharapova will also be aware that every time Williams has reached the Melbourne Park final, in 2003 and 2005, she has walked away with the trophy.

The 19-year-old Russian however will not want to waste her opportunity to create history.

She already holds the distinction of being the first Russian woman to win the Wimbledon crown, defeating Williams in the final, and could replicate the feat in Australia.

After coming within two points of defeat in her first round match against Camille Pin, the U.S. Open champion has gone from strength to strength.

She stopped title favorite Kim Clijsters in straight sets in the semi-finals, proving that she is peaking at just the right time.

"I'm happy I could step it up against Kim, which gives me a lot of confidence going into the final," said the Russian.

"We've (Serena and I) always had pretty good battles, exciting matches. I definitely enjoy the fight against her."

Having lost to Williams in the 2005 semi-finals here, revenge will taste extremely sweet if she can hold aloft the silver cup on Saturday.

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