Good afternoon and welcome to LIVE coverge of the women's singles final from Roland Garros as Maria Sharapovo meets Sara Errani. Sharapova is bidding to become only the 10th woman to win a career Grand Slam of the four tennis majors.

GAME, SET AND MATCH SHARAPOVA! Sharapova comes up with a sublime winner on the forehand side to bring up a Championshhip point at 40-30, but she overhits the forehand seconds later. We head for deuce with plenty of noise on court from the French crowd. A timely drop shot gives Errani a break point before she comes up with another winning drop sho to save the second championship. An ace from Sharapova brings up the third title point which Errani can't return. All over.

BREAK SHARAPOVA! Sharapova cuts through Errani as she loses only one point in moving to the cusp of the title with another break of the Errani serve. A booming backhand up the line leaves her opponent looking on helplessly. Sharapova will come out to serve for the title.

BREAK ERRANI! Errani not slipping quietly into the night out there. Sharapova not yet over the line. Wins the first two points on serve before watching Errani come up with four straight points to retrieve one of the breaks. Where there is life there is hope...and all that jazz...

BREAK SHARAPOVA! The double break despite Errani continuing to fight the good fight. An epic game. Sharapova brings the scores back to deuce with a terrific forehand winner down the line. Another thumping forehand brings up the second break point. Plenty of screaming as Sharapova just misses, but she doesn't miss with a forehand to force the score back to deuce before finally seeing out the game for a 4-1 lead. Two games needed for the title.

Errani picks up a couple of cheap points on the Sharapova service game. She is doing plenty of bouncing around, and benefits from Sharapova missing a few points. The last six games have now gone to deuce so the pattern of the match is changing somewhat from earlier on. Errani brings up a break point, but Sharapova slams the door shut with a couple of howitzers. She races to the line to convert a forehand on the run before Errani hits the net. A 3-1 lead now.

Errani scrambling well to stay alive in this match. Converts an overhead smash to move 40-0 clear. Sharapova holds her up with a blistering forehand across court before Errani drops in a double fault. A 40-30 lead for Errani, but that heads to advantage when both women find the net in quick succession. Sharapova wallops a shot long, and Errani is back to 2-1 behind in this second set.

Bit of cloud hovers overhead. Errani comes to the net to convert a winning volley to level at 15-15. A fine second serve from Sharapova sees Errani knock an attemped winner wide. Errani floats the first serve out wide to hand Sharapova two points to cement the break. Errani comes in again seconds later to win another point at the net. Errani forces deuce only for Sharapova to thrown down an ace to move to advantage before a drive touches the baseline. A 2-0 lead for Sharapova with the break.

BREAK SHARAPOVA! The power and the pace of Sharapova continues to hold sway. Errani trying frantically to add some variation to her play, but she is undone to love as Sharapova chomps away at her opponent's ragged defence. A break to love and Sharapova is well and truly on top of this final.

Errani goes for a comfort break. Sharapova coming up 19 winners in that set compared to four from Errani. Sharapova win 82 percent of points on her first serve. Long way back for Errani.

SET TO SHARAPOVA! Errani coming up with the goods to swat her first backhand winner down the line. Big point at 30-30, but Sharapova smashes a forehand winner down the line to bring up her third set point. She seals the deal with a blistering backhand away from Errani. Sharapova leads 1-0 after 36 minutes of play.

Errani trying to match the pace of Sharapova in the rallies. Only going to be one winner there. A sliced backhand drops wide from the back of the court. Sharapova has two break points for the sets. Lets out an almighty scream as a forehand is walloped straight into the net before Errani forces Sharapova out of position to drill the forehand down the line. Sharapova is backed up as a backhand flies wide. Good work by Errani to prolong the game with Sharapova leaking errors for no real reason.

Any short balls from Errani are being dealt with by Sharapova with real brute force. The big forehand is almost like a world champion boxer's KO blow. Errani 40-0 behind on the Sharapova serve without doing too much wrong. The weight of the Sharapova ball is unsettling her as she is off balance in trying to return a serve but ends up lifting the shot wide. A 5-2 lead. Sharapova one game short of the first set.

Not exactly back in this final, but at least Errani has stopped the bleeding for the time being. The Italian producing better stuff on the serve and in these rallies. A couple of drop shots bring mixed joy for the 21st seed. One comes off, one drops into the net. Chance for Sharapova to force deuce, but she wallops a forehand well wide. Sharapova now with a 4-2 lead.

BREAK ERRANI! One break back for Errani. Much needed respite after losing four straight games in no time at all. Sharapova in a bit of a charitable mood at the outset of the fifth game as she comes up with a bit of a wretched service game to hand one of the two breaks back.

BREAK SHARAPOVA! Much better from Errani as she drills a forehand across court to move 15-0 ahead. The French crowd trying to get behind the Italian player. But the power of Sharapova is utterly devastating Errani's resistance as she falls 15-30 behind. Sharapova stands up like a baseball player to whip a backhand down the line for two more break points. Two breaks saved for Errani but another couple of strong winners are too hot to handle for Sharapova. A 4-0 lead with two breaks.

Sharapova finding great depth with her forehand. Errani yet to get into this final as a forehand hits a ball boy on the return with the favourite moving 40-0 ahead. A big ace down the middle is more than enough for Sharapova to lead 3-0. Eight minutes gone, and Errani is already looking down the barrel of a gun here. A huge game coming up for Errani as she bids to hold for the first time.

BREAK SHARAPOVA! A real feel of David and Goliath about this match as Sharapova looks as tough as granite swatting the ball back. Errani falls 30-15 behind and the alarm bells begin to ring for the diminutive Italian. A forehand on the backhand side presents Sharapova with the chance to thump a winner down the line for two break points. She saves the first one as Sharapova empties the return into the net. But Errani lifts a backhand long seconds later. Sharapova leads 2-0.

Sharapova wins the first couple of points aided by that clubbing first serve before she throws in a double fault. Errani already cemented to the baseline as Sharapova drives her back with the two-handed backhand to lead 40-15. She finishes it off with a big ace out wide. A punch of the fists, and Sharapova is off and running with a smart hold. She leads 1-0.

Players finish off their warm-up and we are almost ready to go. Brit Alison Lang is the umpire for this final. Sharapova to serve in the opening game of the match.

This is the first time these women have met on the professional circuit so Errani is not scarred by a series of losses to the Russian woman. Errani is an 11/4 shot to win this tournament with Sharapova a heavy favourite at 1/4.