No. 7 Maria Sharapova of Russia defeated No. 8 Samatha Stosur of Australia 6-2, 6-4 to win the championship at the Internazionali BNL d’ Italia Alice Cup in Rome on Sunday.
Sharapova was dominant from the start, winning 14 of the first 15 points in the match to take a 4-0 lead, finishing off that first set 6-2. Sharapova broke Stosur’s serve five times in all, winning the second set 6-4 to win the title.
After the match, Sharapova said: “I’m so happy to be the champion. It means so much to me to add this title to the ones I already have. Rome is such a special place and I’ve dreamed of holding up this trophy. There are a lot of tournaments coming up, and this is a great start to everything. I can’t wait to be back next year… To beat players who have had great results on clay means a lot to me. I may not be the best mover or best slider on clay, or the strongest player with the strongest legs, but there’s a lot more than that in tennis.”
In reaching the finals, Sharapova also defeated World No. 1, Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark in the Semifinals. It was a straight-sets victory 7-5, 6-3.
Sharapova now leads Stosur 8-0 in career matches. This was their first meeting on clay, which is Stosur’s best surface.
Former World No. 1 Sharapova has been steadily climbing in the rankings since coming back from a shoulder injury suffered in 2008. She dipped out of the top 100 in early 2009, but climbed back by the end of 2009 to No. 14. She then fell to her lowest ranking at year-end in seven years at the end of 2010, ranked 18th. She is now back up to No. 7, and this win will certainly help her ranking. Perhaps she is ready to re-take her position at the top of the ranks.
