Maria Sharapova extended her unbeaten 2008 record to 14 straight matches on Sunday by winning the Qatar Total Open.
Sunday’s win in Doha was Sharapova’s 18th Sony Ericsson WTA Tour singles title.
After overcoming a lapse of concentration in the second set, fourth seed Sharapova defeated her countrywoman Vera Zvonareva 6-1, 2-6, 6-0.
“I was kind of sleeping in the beginning but I got my feet going,” said Sharapova after the final.
“I had so many opportunities at the start of the second set but didn’t take them, and she’s the type of player that plays better when she’s down; I have seen it before. The first game of the third was important. I got myself going by winning some of the long points in that game and things started changing from there.”
Other than playing Fed Cup, Sharapova had not competed since winning the Australian Open in January.
“I didn’t feel I played my best tennis today – it was very up and down – but I found something to get me going and came out of it with a win,” continued Sharapova.
“When you’ve got five matches in five days you can’t expect to play your best every day.”
Sharapova will remain unchanged at No. 5 on Monday’s edition of the Tour rankings. Zvonareva is projected to advance from No. 27 to No. 21.
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From what I looked at, I think Sharapova is playing very well. Her shot variety and tactical thinking seem to have improved significantly.
If she can keep her focus consistently, this may well be a banner year for her.