Who will triumph?

Ana Ivanovic or Dinara Safina: Who will lift the trophy tomorrow?

Ivanovic has experience on her side: She was the finalist last year and a semifinalist the year before. There is reason to believe she has most likely shaken off the nerves that plagued her in 2007. She also has a victory in a see-saw semifinal to give her confidence.

Ivanovic is known for her lightning forehand, of course, but she is also an excellent server--most of the time; when she is nervous, her ball toss gets her in trouble. Ivanovic is a smart and aggressive player, and being aggressive has paid off for her in big ways.

Safina had a breakthrough a few years ago, but then failed to capitalize on it. She broke through again last month in Berlin, winning her first Tier I title and taking out Justine Henin, Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva along the way. My gut feeling was that she would not fade when she arrived in Paris, and I was right. Instead, she has given us more thrilling tennis than we have seen in a single tournament in a long time. Continuing the come-from-far-behind antics she exhibited in Berlin, Safina has won heart-stopping thrillers against both Maria Sharapova and Dementieva, each time coming from way behind and saving match points.

Will Safina have anything left by the time she gets to the final? She said she thought the lack of rest helped her win her semifinal against Svetlana Kuznetsova today because she had not had time to wind down mentally, and her body just followed orders. But now she has a day of rest, and she could crash.

The pressure is on Ivanovic, not just because she has the higher ranking, but because she is now the world number 1. Ivanovic can fall victim to nerves from time to time. On the other hand, she came back from a break down twice in the third set yesterday to win her semifinal, certainly a display of mental toughness. And despite her past, there is now no doubting the mental toughness of Dinara Safina.

My best guess, after weighing all factors, is that Safina will have the mental edge and Ivanovic will have the physical edge.