Serena and Sharapova reboot rivalry

PARIS - It has been almost two-and-a-half years since Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova last faced off across the net but when it comes to these two great on-court foes, absence does not make the heart grow fonder.

While Sharapova's quarterfinal defeat by Williams at the 2016 Australian Open ended up being the last competitive match the Russian would play for 15 months after she was slapped with a doping ban, her American rival was on a maternity break for most of 2017.

Making her Grand Slam comeback in Paris following the birth of her daughter Alexis Olympia last September, Williams will renew her fierce rivalry with Sharapova on Monday when they meet in a highly anticipated fourth-round showdown at the French Open.