JUST a quick glance at the Wimbledon roll-of-honour shows the Williams sisters have been the dominant factor at the All-England Club over the past decade - and even though they were in opposite sides of the draw, sentimental reasoning would have been the only rationale for picking an all-Williams final this year.

Looking at the draw pragmatically, tomorrow's final is the outcome we should have come to expect. Former champion Maria Sharapova knows what it's like to be on the sidelines but the Russian has showed real character to pull herself back into top form, while Petra Kvitova from the Czech Republic has been rocketing up the rankings since she made the semi-finals last year.

Sharapova is by no means a clay-court specialist but the US-based right-hander won the Italian Open which was followed up by a semi-final showing at the French Open. Fans of the 24-year-old had great reason to look forward to the grass-season on the basis of her return to form on the red clay and despite missing her favoured warm-up tournament in Birmingham through illness, Sharapova has certainly been living up to the expectations in reaching her first major final this side of her shoulder operation in 2008. Granted, Sharapova hasn't had the toughest assignments en route to the final but she's yet to drop a set.

Likewise, the clay-courts neutralise some of Kvitova's formidable baseline power but the Czech left-hander took advantage of the fast playing conditions in Madrid to scoop her greatest title to date, and despite dropping a set here at Wimbledon in her semi-final against world number four Azarenka, the recent Eastbourne finalist composed herself for a commanding three-set win to reach her first Grand Slam final, thus becoming the first Czech woman to reach the final of a Grand Slam competition since Jana Novotna in 1998.

The head-to-head stands at 1-0 with the Russian prevailing in their solitary meeting on the lightning fast Memphis courts last year.

Kvitova's chances

The pros – IT takes a very special performance to stop Kvitova when she finds her A-game. Her ball-striking capabilities are some of the best we've seen and while it's a bit of an over-used saying, Kvitova does have the ammunition to blow just about anyone off the court. While Sharapova is a hard hitter, Kvitova has more pace from the baseline and she's one of the best servers on the tour as well.

While every player gets nervous before a Grand Slam final, Kvitova doesn't strike me as a player who will freeze on the big stage. In only her fourth WTA main-draw match, Kvitova upset Venus Williams in Memphis and she also saved multiple match-points in her first Grand Slam quarter-final on the lawns of SW19 last year. While a Grand Slam final is a different kettle of fish, Kvitova carries herself with quiet confidence and she must take heart from her track record.

The cons – EVEN though Kvitova's improved her consistency, she hasn't developed much of a middle-game and she's still prone to committing needless unforced errors. A lack of footwork in the second set of her semi-final led to a string of forehand errors and her return of serve can let her down on occasion. Kvitova still looks somewhat ungainly when she's forced to rally so it's necessary for her to keep aiming for the first strike.

Sharapova's chances

The pros – SHARAPOVA'S most obvious advantage is her experience in Grand Slam finals and while her record in high-tariff WTA finals has been somewhat shaky since her comeback in 2009, Sharapova is regaining confidence and her ground game is starting to look much more watertight. Her return of serve in the closing stages of her semi-final match against Lisicki compensated for the serving gremlins and this asset has the potential to negate Kvitova's lefty slice-serve especially when serving wide on the ! ad-court.

The cons – HER semi-final against Li Na at Roland Garros and Thursday's encounter with Sabine Lisicki exposed the vulnerability of the second serve which Kvitova can expose, depending on the accuracy of her return of serve. Her ground-game fell apart in the Miami final earlier this year.

The outcome...

THE bookmakers are favouring Sharapova. William Hill make the Russian the 4/7 favourite and Bet365 and Ladbrokes give odds of 8/15.

Kvitova wasn't wholly convincing in the quarter-final and semi-final but I think the outcome of the match will depend on her level. If she comes out all guns blazing like she did in the opening rounds, Kvitova is a difficult animal to tame but Sharapova has the tools to negate some of Kvitova's strengths (serve) and expose her weaknesses (movement).

By Centre Court Tennis World forum member "Nevets".