Sharapova defeats nervy Ivanovic to claim Australian Open title
Maria Sharapova sent out a message of intent to her rivals as she began 2008 by collecting the Australian Open title with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Serbian Ana Ivanovic. After her demolition at the hands of unseeded Serena Williams in last year's final, the 20-year-old Russian went one step better to claim her third Grand Slam success.
After a year blighted by injuries, Sharapova - rated No5 in the world going into the tournament - went into the match as the lower ranked player, with Ivanovic proving a force in the women's game throughout 2007 and climbing above the former Wimbledon and US Open winner in the rankings.
The young Serb - the world No3 - tasted victory over her opponent en-route to her only Grand Slam final, where she was overwhelmed by Justine Henin at Roland Garros.
However with injury problems clearly behind her, Sharapova proved far too strong this time around and picked up the win in just over 90 minutes.
Temperatures in Melbourne peaked at 34 degrees, but the capacity crowd at the Rod Laver Arena were treated to a world-class display from two players sure to dominate the circuit for years to come.
The first set proved an entertaining affair, with Ivanovic suffering from nerves and Sharapova struggling on serve, the match swung in favour of both competitors.
After pulling away 4-2, Sharapova let the tempo drop and Ivanovic capitalised, rattling off three straight games to recapture the lead. However with another crucial break behind her, the Russian served out to love to take the first set 7-5.
The second set was a one-sided affair, with Sharapova racing to a 5-3 lead with three championship points on Ivanovic's serve.
Despite squandering the first two, she was not to be denied, forcing the error from Ivanovic before dropping to her knees in a teary celebration
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