Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova wasted no time in defending her Japan Open title at the Ariake Colesseum on Saturday, blitzing Mashona Washington of the United States 6-0, 6-1 in 51 minutes. Washington had beaten Sharapova in three sets earlier this year in New Haven but the contrast between that match and this one could not have been more extreme.
The 17-year-old used her ferocious array of groundstrokes to leave her opponent struggling to gain any form of rhythm. Washington had to wait until the penultimate game of the match to make any impact on the scoreline, picking up her first game at 5-1 in the second set, such was the domination of the Russian. Sharapova cited her strong serve and the fast surface as the keys to her success in the final.
"I served very well and played very well. In our previous encounter, the surface was slower and consequently the points were longer. I wasn't physically prepared for that. Today I realized that I had to dictate the play and I think I did that," she said.The Japan Open provides fond memories for Sharapova as last year's event was the first title of her career and was a launching pad for her subsequent meteoric rise up the world tennis ladder.
"Everything seems to come together here for me. I'm not sure if it is the people, the rain or whatever . . ." Sharapova added.
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