Molik Becomes First Australian Tier I Champion

Posted on October 25, 2004

<a href='http://www.tennis-x.com/playernews/Alicia-Molik.php' id=namelink>Alicia Molik</a>

Unseeded Aussie Alicia Molik came back from a set down to beat an unsettled No. 3 seed Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Sunday in the final of the WTA stop at Zurich.

"It's a great feeling to win a Tier I title," Molik said. "I've won some smaller tournaments and I've been working really hard in the past year. So this, along with winning the bronze in Athens is a reward."

Molik used some patented Aussie slice and dice in combination with a defensive topspin ground game to eventually unnerve the Russian, who in the second set received a warning for being coached by her father Yuri, who was sitting on the opposite side of the court.

Sharapova took a medical time-out for a muscle strain, and in the third set became increasingly unraveled, whacking balls in anger and at one time almost hitting a spectator.

"The shoulder was a little sore during the match and I'm sad that I wasn't able to give 100 percent today, but I'm not here to make excuses," Sharapova said. "Full credit to Alicia for having a great week. She beat a lot of tough players here so she fully deserves this title. This isn't a serious injury -- I'm going to take a few days to rest the shoulder and prepare for the rest of the season."

Entering the match Sharapova was 6-0 in career finals.

"I'm proud of the fact that I stuck to my game plan," Molik said. "I kept going for my shots and serves and I was meeting Maria shot for shot from the baseline. I have to thank my coach David Taylor for giving me such great support."

It was the second title of the year for Molik after Stockholm.

In doubles the team of Cara Black and Rennae Stubbs won their sixth title this year by defeating world No. 1s Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarez 6-4, 6-4.

"It's always great to play the top doubles team in the world, and it's obviously even better to beat them, which we've done three out of four times this year," Stubbs said. "It bodes well for the (doubles) championships -- we're going to go to L.A. with lots of confidence in our form."