Maria Sharapova hammers Li Na to claim the championship title – Porsche Tennis Grand Prix 2013
World number two, Maria Sharapova, delivered as it was anticipated, pounding the Chinese number one, Li Na, in the final battle to claim the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title this weekend. The Russian diva wrapped up her championship
triumph in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to lift her second WTA trophy of the running season.
The top seeded Russian had some trouble in dumping the former world number one, Ana Ivanovic, in the quarter-final and then the home favourite, Angelique Kerber, in the semis and won both battle in three sets. However, the second
seeded Li Na proved to be easy bait for Sharapova. The slender-legged Russian just cruised through both sets and comprehensively side-lined her Chinese opponent from the competition. She was extremely delighted to extend her career’s title tally to 29 after
her victory in Stuttgart, Germany.
"She was the second seed and someone who I had lost to the last time we played, and obviously she was fresher than me going into the final, so I knew it would be the toughest match of the tournament," Sharapova said. "I really
tried to do the right things from the beginning to the end and not have a letdown like I did in the other matches - there were some struggles in those. But I kept giving myself chances to go to the next round, and I think I really played my best tennis of
the week today. No matter how difficult those other matches were or how tired I was, I stepped it up today."
Sharapova was off to her regular fiery start, breaking Li Na in the opening game of the match. She nailed another breakthrough in the fifth game but only to be broken in the very next game. However, the top seeded Russian sustained
her lead in the set. She didn’t drop her serve in the next two games and comprehensively served out of the first set at 5-4.
A more steady start was seen from Li Na in the following set and she held her opening three serves to take the scores to 3-3. Sharapova stung two back-to-back break points in the seventh and ninth games and wrapped up her championship
victory at 6-3.
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