adminBEIJING. — Russia’s Maria Sharapova won the China Open women’s tennis title with a thrilling 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory over third seed Petra Kvitova in the final in Beijing.
Sharapova, who will move up to number two in the world, was broken in the opening game but took the first set in as Kvitova made 17 unforced errors.
The left-handed Kvitova (24) won four games in a row to force a decider.
But Sharapova (27) took the first three games of the final set and went on to win in two hours and 28 minutes.
It was Sharapova’s fifth successive victory over Kvitova, who would have risen to world number two had she taken the title, following her triumph in the inaugural Wuhan Open last week. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter