Sharapova Rolls Zvonareva in Bagel Third Set for WTA Qatar Title
Posted on February 24, 2008Maria Sharapova proved mentally stronger in a see-saw battle against Vera Zvonareva in the final of the Qatar Open, rolling through the final set against her Russian compatriot 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.
The Australian Open champ is now 14-0 on the season, including two wins for Russia in her Fed Cup debut, and she improved to 9-0 in Doha.
"I played five matches in five days and that is not an easy thing to do," Sharapova told reporters in her post-match conference. "I think what I have done is just great."
Zvonareva turned up the aggression in the second set, but was no match for the former No. 1 in the third set. Zvonareva, who throughout her career has broken down in tears on court during tense times, after a solid week again reinforced her shaky big-match reputation in the final.
"She stayed aggressive right throughout the match," Zvonareva said. "She didn't give me much of a chance."
For her week's work Sharapova earned over $400,000. Sharapova next heads to Dubai where she is one of seven Top 10 seeds in the field.
The Australian Open champ is now 14-0 on the season, including two wins for Russia in her Fed Cup debut, and she improved to 9-0 in Doha.
"I played five matches in five days and that is not an easy thing to do," Sharapova told reporters in her post-match conference. "I think what I have done is just great."
Zvonareva turned up the aggression in the second set, but was no match for the former No. 1 in the third set. Zvonareva, who throughout her career has broken down in tears on court during tense times, after a solid week again reinforced her shaky big-match reputation in the final.
"She stayed aggressive right throughout the match," Zvonareva said. "She didn't give me much of a chance."
For her week's work Sharapova earned over $400,000. Sharapova next heads to Dubai where she is one of seven Top 10 seeds in the field.