Sports
Maria Sharapova wins Tianjin Open title
15 Oct, 2017
Former world number one Maria Sharapova has won her first title since May 2015, beating Aryna Sabalenka 7-5 7-6 (10-8) in the Tianjin Open final.
The 30-year-old Russian was playing her seventh event since she?returned to the tour?in April from a 15-month drug ban.
She trailed 4-1 in both sets before overcoming the 19-year-old Belarusian, who was contesting her first WTA final, in two hours and five minutes.
It is the five-time Grand Slam winner’s 36th WTA tournament victory.
Sharapova was denied a wildcard for the French Open,?missed Wimbledon through injury?and reached the US Open fourth round as a wildcard before?losing to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
The Russian, who began the week ranked 86th in the world, received a wildcard for the event in China.
She broke a nervous-looking Sabalenka in the opening game but then lost four games in succession as the teenager struck back with aggressive returns.
The Russian got back on serve at 4-3 after a 16-point game and then claimed the decisive break with a forehand winner down the line.
World number 101 Sabalenka surged into a 5-1 advantage in the second set with some more fiercely struck returns before Sharapova responded with five consecutive games to serve for the match at 6-5.
But she was unable to complete victory and a double fault sent the set into a tie-break, which saw the players drop four successive points on serve.
Sabalenka survived three match points but a double fault gave Sharapova a fourth chance and she duly recorded her first title since the?Italian Opentwo years and five months ago. (Courtesy BBC)
Recommended For You
