It's time to talk about Serena Williams.
Williams, 31, has made it to the French Open final, where she'll play against Maria Sharapova on Saturday. This, perhaps, isn't all that alarming. What is alarming, though, is how she's gotten there. She's murdering people.
Wiliams is the top-ranked women's player in the world and is flattening every single opponent unlucky enough to take the clay against her. In five rounds, she's lost one set (in the quarterfinal to Svetlana Kuznetsova) and 18 total games. She saved her most dominant performance so far for today, when she beat the Italian Sera Errani, ranked fifth in the world, 6-0 and 6-1. The match lasted 46 minutes, including commercial breaks. It was the worst French Open semifinal beat down in 30 years.
It's Serena's first French Open final since her 2002 win over her sister Venus, and she's now the oldest player to ever hold the top ranking in women's tennis. It may look like Sharapova has a chance to upset the legend, but we doubt it.
Sharapova's beaten Williams twice in their past 15 matches, and Williams has only lost two matches this year. And while Williams overpowered Errani with 120-mph serves and an unconscionable 40 winners, Sharapova was forced to grind out a 6-1, 2-6, 6-4 win against Victoria Azarenka.
She made her debut 18 years ago, but Williams might be playing the best tennis of her career, and the clear favorite to lift this year's French Open trophy.
Williams was still zoned in when she greeted reporters after today's trouncing. "I had to win this match," Williams said simply. "So I told myself, 'Serena, be focused today.'"
If Williams is in the same mindset Saturday, Sharapova might as well not show up.