PARIS: Victoria Azarenka expects another "intense" battle against Maria Sharapova Thursday when the pair open a new chapter in their uneasy relationship with a place in the French Open final at stake.
World number three Azarenka takes on defending champion Sharapova, the second seed, in their first meeting on clay since their infamous shoulder charging in Stuttgart last year.
Sharapova won that clash but the final was overshadowed when the two statuesque blondes bumped into each other at the changeover, refusing, metaphorically and literally, to give ground.
"Maybe even more intense," was how Azarenka, the Australian Open champion and playing in her first French Open semi-final, described the potential atmosphere of the semi-final.
"I don't look at her if she's more intense than me or not. But she's definitely an incredible fighter, and she always fights for every ball no matter what the score is.
"That's something the top players are so good at, and that's what makes it difficult to play against them."
Azarenka takes a 7-5 career lead over the Russian into the match, but she has lost both their meetings on clay -- the infamous Stuttgart final from last year and in Rome in 2011 when she pulled up injured.
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