Sport
Serena Williams beats Maria Sharapova to win Sony Open
Serena Williams with the Sony Open trophy. PHOTO/EPA
Serena Williams defeated Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 and in turn won the Sony Open.
At 31, the No. 1-ranked Williams became the oldest female champion at Key Biscayne. She won the tournament for the first time since 2008 and surpassed Steffi Graf, a five-time champion.
”Serena played a great match,” Sharapova said. ”I’m sure we’ll be playing a few more times this year.” Sharapova didn’t sound thrilled by the prospect, with good reason. She has lost 11 consecutive matches against Williams and hasn’t beaten her since 2004.
Initially, Sharapova built a lead by keeping Williams on the defensive, then came the turnaround. Williams ratcheted up the power, began feasting on Sharapova’s tentative second serve and broke back at love, then took advantage of two double-faults by Sharapova to break again.
Williams lives 2 hours up I-95 in Palm Beach Gardens, and she made herself right at home in the final set, losing only 10 points.
”That’s why she’s No. 1 in the world,” Sharapova said. ”She’s really capable of doing that. I was controlling a lot of the points in the first set and the beginning of the second. Then toward the end, I wasn’t there.”
Williams’ late surge won cheers from the crowd, which included her sister, three-time champion Venus.
Sharapova made 80 percent of her first serves early on but finished at 63. Williams converted all seven break-point chances and had a 35-13 advantage in winners. But Williams’ standards are high, and in her postmatch news conference, she sounded as though she had lost.
”Today wasn’t my day, I don’t think,” she said. ”Maria played really the best I have seen her play, and I think she was moving unbelievable, and she was hitting winners from everywhere.” It wasn’t Williams’ first test this week. She trailed Dominika Cibulkova 6-2, 4-1 before rallying in the fourth round, and was annoyed to hit six double-faults in the quarterfinals.
”I’m happy to be holding the championship,” she said. ”It’s definitely not my best tournament. I think everyone here can agree. But those are the moments that count – when you can still come out on top.”
She’ll remain No. 1 and Sharapova No. 2 next week. Williams is the first No. 1-seeded woman to win the title since she was champion in 2004. Williams’ other titles at Key Biscayne came in 2002, ’03, ’07 and ’08.
”It’s tough to lose in the final stage, because you work so hard to get there,” Sharapova said. ”But the more I give myself this opportunity, the better chance I have of winning.”
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press