Sharapova downs Azarenka to claim 25th title
Date published :
29 Apr 2012 - 19:46:52
Maria Sharapova earned her first title of the year on Sunday as she blasted her way past world number one Victoria Azarenka 6-1, 6-4 in the final of the Stuttgart claycourt tournament.
This was the 25-year-old Sharapova's 25th title of her career, but first in 2012 having lost three finals.
It was also revenge for both this year's Australian Open and Indian Wells defeats at the hands of Azarenka, and having also been runner-up at the Miami tournament.
Her victory in 84 minutes also comes with a winner's cheque of 115,000 dollars and a new Porsche sports car.
Sharapova demolished her 22-year-old opponent in the first set needing exactly 30 minutes having raced into a 3-0 lead.
In a competitive encounter, the world's top two players even barged into one another during a change over.
The Belarusian world number one raised her game in the second set, but Sharapova got the break she needed to make it 4-3 and then served out to win the tournament on her debut in Stuttgart.
