Thanks to Sharapova's Victory, Caitlin Thompson Wins Cake Contest

WNYC colleague Caitlin Thompson crushes ball, bracket contest, with Sharapova/Errani French Open final.

It will either be Maria Sharapova or Sara Errani hoisting the Muskateers' Cup this Saturday at Roland Garros in Paris.  But we already know who will be lifting the first-ever I Hate Tennis French Open Cake Contest: Caitlin Thompson, editor of WNYC's politics website, It's A Free Country.

My "daft punk" (what does that mean?) colleague emerged victorious over her Thompson Twin, Tam Thomsen, with 135 points.  Thomsen needed Petra Kvitova to final in order to be Queen of the Buttercream.

"Bake me something unconventional," said Thompson. "If you want to go crazy, go for it."

Maybe that's what makes her daft punk.  She'll eat avocado-chocolate cake with foie gras frosting.  Hmmmm.....

Down, but not out: Sara Errani is in the French Open final. Copyright FFT.One of my favorite players to watch -- and listen to -- Sara Errani, grunted and hustled her way past 6th-seed and 2010 finalist Samantha Stosur, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3.  

David Sutton, on the Roland Garros website, said the third set was a "titanic struggle":

Every point was worth its weight in gold, and Errani played a flawless seventh game to lead 4-3. A lucky net cord, a double fault and a superb backhand lob brought her two break points, saved by Stosur, but another double brought Errani a third and when Stosur hit wide, the Italian was one game from glory.

Errani kept her nerve to see the match out, wrong-footing her opponent on match point before collapsing to the floor, overcome by the realisation that she had reached her first Grand Slam final.

Errani, who lost to Stosur just a few weeks earlier in Rome, told reporters the keys to the match for her were strong returns of Sam's wicked kick serve, and solid service games of her own.  

She served out the third and deciding set at love.  Wasn't she nervous? a reporter asked:

Yes.  I was very nervous, but on the same time I was really focused on the game.  Maybe she had more pressure.  So I just want to just think about what I had to do."

She said she focused on "put the ball where I want to put."  Sounds simple, right, haters? Put the ball where you want to put.  Not putt.

It's been a banner tournament, and clay court season, for the 25-year-old Italian.  She's also in tomorrow's doubles final with Roberta Vinci.  And she's won three other tournaments on clay.  Sforza, Saretta, sforza!

Glam Slam: Maria Sharapova finals, reclaims #1. Copyright FFT. She will need sforza against Maria Sharapova, who cruised past a misfiring Petra Kvitova, 6-3, 6-3.  Maria must have savored this one. Kvitova denied her another Wimbledon crown in their championship meet-up last year. 

By reaching the French Open final, Sharapova becomes the best female player in the world. The last time she was called this was 7 long years and a shoulder surgery ago.  A French Open championship would be a huge get for a woman who once said she felt like a "cow on ice" on the red clay.  

What do you think, haters?  Maria, or Sara?  I'm going with Errani in 3.  I like the way she's moving and serving.  In her match with Stosur, she got 86% of her first serves in, compared to Sharapova's 79% against Kvitova.  And Errani loves the net.  She succeeded 71% of the time in her approaches to net, vesus Maria's 50%.  If Errani pulls off some of the drop shots she used to take out Angelique Kerber, Sharapova may start mooing.