French toast for Maria
PARIS: Russia’s Maria Sharapova became the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles on Saturday when she defeated Sara Errani of Italy 6-3, 6-2 in the French Open final.
In what turned out to be largely one-sided contest, the second seed and new world No.1 led from the start, fixing the 21st seeded Errani with her biggest shots and giving her little chance to employ her own, more considered game.
The French Open title for Sharapova follows her Grand Slam triumphs at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the Australian Open in 2008 and it crowns her return from a serious shoulder injury that nearly wrecked her career.
The 90-minute final though did little to restore the reputation of women’s tennis at Roland Garros, continuing a run of straight sets finals that date back to 2001 when Jennifer Capriati defeated Kim Clijsters in a three-set thriller.
“It’s a magical moment in my career,” Sharapova said in French, before quickly reverting to English. It has been such a journey for me to to get to this stage. Eight years ago it was my first breakthough Grand Slam and eight years later here I am,” she said.
About the Author (Author Profile)
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Loading ...
Exchange Rate
