Maria Sharapova beats Zvonareva to win Qatar Open
Maria Sharapova wins Qatar Open
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Sunday, 24, Feb 2008 07:58
Maria Sharapova beat fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva to win the Qatar Open in the 20-year-old's 18th career title.
Fourth seed Sharapova beat Zvonareva 6-1 2-6 6-0 to extend her unbeaten run to 14 matches.
Despite a weak second set, Sharapova dominated the final stages.
The Australian Open champion told the BBC: "I had so many opportunities in the beginning of the second set but I didn't take them, and she's the type of opponent that's going to play her best tennis when she's playing from behind and has nothing to lose.
"Her level just comes up, and mine dropped. I felt like my energy was going down. I wasn't moving or hitting the same way, and I think that first game of the third set was very important.
"It gave me a lot of confidence."
Zvonareva said: "It was a tough one. She started off really well and I didn't really know what to do.
"She was really aggressive and didn't give me a chance. Then I found my game a little bit better and caused her trouble in the second.
"I think the first game of the third set was an important game on my serve.
"I lost it and then she took a 3-0 lead and it was really tough to stop her after that."
Zvonareva was seeking her first title since taking the Cincinnati title in 2006.