With the women's semi-finals at the French Open now set, I had planned to write this post about how the French Open had opened up for Maria Sharapova.

She's playing great and it seemed to me that her main competition for the title had all dropped like flies throughout the tournament.

Serena Williams? Out. Venus? Out. Victoria Azarenka? Li Na? Aggie Radwanska? Caroline Wozniacki? Out Out Out Out.

All the big names seem to have fallen by the wayside. Even some of the lesser names who had, in recent years, made waves at the French, like Francesca Schiavone, had also been knocked out.

The road seemed clear for Sharapova to waltz to the title. Or so I thought.

Then I started looking at the head-to-head records of the remaining players on the women's side, thanks to Tennis.com, and I realised that the tournament is still up for grabs among the final four players.

In one semi-final, Sharapova takes on Petra Kvitova, the world number 4, who survived a tough quarterfinal match against Yaroslava Shvedova. Kvitova is one of those mysteriously uneven but dangerous players and she'll give Sharapova a run for her money in the semis.

Sharapova and Kvitova have faced each other five times in their careers, with Sharapova holding a slim 3-2 lead in matches. This semifinal should be a doozy.

The competitors in the other semi are number-six Sam Stosur and Sara Errani. Stosur has beaten Errani in all five of their previous matches but you shouldn't underestimate the Italian here. She's hot and she's beaten some recognizable names on the way to the semis, including Melanie Oudin, Ana Ivanovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Angelique Kerber.

Add to that the fact that this French Open has been as unpredictable as any Major in recent memory and you have to know that Stosur will be in tough against Errani.

So how does the final match up?

Sharapova versus Stosur would be a battle of two sluggers. Sharapova, however, has dominated the Australian in the past, racking up a 10-1 record in 11 meetings.

Stosur seems to stand a slightly better chance against Kvitova, though her record is only slightly better at 1-3. My feeling, however, is that a semi-final win over Sharapova might take so much out of Kvitova, both physically and emotionally, that she'll be flat in the finals no matter who she faces.

What about Errani? If she makes it past Stosur, Errani poses a bit of an unknown challenge for either Sharapova or Kvitova. Kvitova has beaten the Italian player in their only two meetings so far while Sharapova and Errani have never played against each other.

So who will win it?

I'm expecting Sharapova to beat Kvitova in two tough sets. Sharapova's on a roll right now and, while Kvitova will probably put up a fight, I expect Sharapova's power to carry the day.

On the other side, I like Errani's speed and scrambling ability against Stosur. Expect a three-setter with Errani emerging victorious.

And, in a shocker, I'm picking speed and cunning to outlast power in a three-set final, with Errani winning her first major.

An interesting result, considering I cam into this thinking Sharapova was in for a cakewalk to the title.