Third-seeded Russian Maria Sharapova defeated fourth-seeded compatriot Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2 to win the WTA Indian Wells title. Sharapova, the glamour girl who shot to prominence with her precocious Wimbleton victory in 2004, captured her first tournament title since Birmingham last June.
Blustery winds on stadium court contributed to a stream of errors from both players. Sharapova, who will move up a spot to No. 5 in the world thanks to the victory, said she tried mostly just to keep the ball in court and await her chances to attack.
Dementieva, the world No. 8 who engineered a stunning comeback to beat top-seeded Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne in the semi-finals, won the first two games of the second set, but Sharapova squelched any thought of another remarkable rally by winning the next six games to lift the trophy.
Sharapova gave a sterling 6-3, 6-3 semi-final performance against Martina Hingis to reach the final against Dementieva, wearing her opponent down in long rallies, attacking the Swiss player's second serves and bullying her from the forehand side.
With her 19th birthday still a month away, Sharapova now boasts 11 WTA titles.
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