Queen Maria and Cinderella Sara in mismatch final

By Toby Davis

PARIS (Reuters) - Martina Navratilova knows a thing or two about winning grand slam titles so when she describes Saturday's French Open final between Maria Sharapova and Sara Errani as a "bad matchup", it does not bode well for the unfancied Italian.

There is a fairytale quality to the idea that the Cinderella Errani could gatecrash Queen Maria's Roland Garros ball, while all the indicators suggest the script is written for Sharapova to become the 10th woman to complete the career grand slam.

It would be fitting, after claiming the other three titles before being cut down by a shoulder injury that needed surgery in 2008, that she should rise again to the pinnacle of the sport to win the only title missing from her collection of majors.

The second seed has already reclaimed the number one ranking by beating Petra Kvitova in the semis, the latest imperious performance in a march to the final that has seen her drop just one set.

"Errani, as amazingly and bravely as she'd played, I just don't see how it can be enough for Maria's return of serve," explained 18-times grand slam singles champion Navratilova.

"(The return) is her best shot, and Errani's serve is her worst shot.

"So that's a really bad matchup. When you talk about somebody that has a better chance of breaking their opponent's serve than holding their own, in my eyes, then it's not looking so good."

As the daughter of a fruit and vegetable seller, the 21st seed has appropriately made a habit of upsetting the applecart on her route to the final.