Bartoli and Nakamura to make WTA history on Sunday

Marion Bartoli will play in the final of the AIG Japan Open tomorrow

Many years ago, the great Chris Evert changed tennis for both men and women forever by gripping her racquet with both hands when she made a backhand shot. Now it is unusual to find someone on the women's tour with a one-handed backhand (though two of the best backhands in tennis belong to Justine Henin-Hardenne and Amelie Mauresmo, both of whom hit one-handed).

In the late 80s, along came Monica Seles, who used both hands on both sides. This unusual shot-making technique did not catch on the way Evert's two-handed backhand did, and only a few women use it. The Chinese player Peng Shuai hits double-handed on both sides, as did the just-retired Maria Sanchez Lorenzo of Spain.

However, tennis history will be made tomorrow at the AIG Japan Open, when two women who hit double-handed on both sides will meet for the first time in a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final. Top seed Marion Bartoli of France will play Japan's Aiko Nakamura, a tournament wild card who fought her way to the finals.