Maria Sharapova won her 2nd WTA Qatar Open in as many appearances with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-0 victory over fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva in the final at Khalifa International Tennis complex in Doha.

Maria, who won also won the title in 2005, proved too strong for her compatriot in the ultimate match of the $2.5 million Tier 1 tournament, even though Maria lost her way in the second set. The 20-year-old is currently undefeated in 2008 with 14 wins from 14 matches spanning the Australian Open, Russia’s Fed Cup tie against Israel, and now the Qatar Open.

“Maria played really well, and I think she deserved to win today. I want to congratulate her on her victory,” Zvonareva, ranked 27 in the world, said. “It’s been a great week. I was injured and couldn’t play at the Australian Open, so it’s great to be back here and to make the final.”

Sharapova’s serve was broken in the opening game of the match, but she then went on the rampage to win six games straight and take the first set in quick time as a shell-shocked Zvonareva struggled to find her rhythm. But just when it looked like being an early night for the capacity centre court crowd, Zvonareva raced to a 3-0 lead in the second set and then broke Sharapova again at 5-2, levelling the match at one set each.

Several unforced errors and double faults crept into Maria’s game, while Zvonareva working her way back into the match with plenty of support from the crowd who cheered on the underdog. However, Maria upped her game in the third set as the former world number one drew on all her big match experience to again reel off six straight games and win the Championship in one hour and 31 minutes. “I’d like to congratulate Vera on a great week. To come back from injury is tough. I’ve been there before, and it’s a wonderful effort by her,” Sharapova said of her opponent.

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