Sharapova collects title No.29

 

Originally published on: 29/04/13 00:00

The Russian admitted to saving her best tennis of the week for the final after seeing off Li Na 6-4 6-3 to capture the 29th WTA crown of her career and her first on clay this year.

"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 after the win. 

“We have faced each other so many times so there are really no secrets between us in our games,” she added. "It's not really about one thing we do well or don't do well. It's really about who goes out and executes best on the day."

The 26-year-old had struggled to find her form earlier in the tournament, dropping sets to Lucie Safarova, Ana Ivanovic and Angelique Kerber, but after bursting into a 4-1 lead in the final she never looked back.

"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.”

Sharapova’s winning streak on clay now stretches to 16 matches, dating back to her victories in Rome and Paris last year.

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