Serena Williams earned a record sixth Key Biscayne women’s title as she came from a set down on Saturday to beat Maria Sharapova 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 at the Sony Open.
It was a new low for Sharapova as she had previously lost the Key Biscayne final to four different players – Kim Clijsters in 2005, Svetlana Kuznetsova in 2006, Victoria Azarenka in 2011 and Agnieszka Radwanska last year.
Serena had to come from a set down to beat Slovakian Dominica Cibulkova in the 4th round and was made to work hard by Li Na for her quarter final win.
Coming into the match Sharapova was in fine form having won her last 11 matches without dropping a set and looked to continue that form with flawless tennis in the first set making 80 percent of her first serves and winning the set 6-4.
The final started under sunny skies and the quality of the shot making from both players matched the conditions from the onset. Serena and Maria renowned for their aggressive style of play kept the crowd on the edge of their seats with some brilliant tennis. Maria kept Serena on the defensive and broke for a 3-2 advantage in the second set.
Williams having triumphed in the last 10 meetings between the two was adamant to continue the streak, ratcheted up the power and produced her best. Maria who was brilliant in the first and halfway through the second sets crumbled under the onslaught from Williams, losing her first serve and making unforced errors. Serena had a 35-13 advantage in winners.
When Serena finds her form as she did in the second set she is absolutely unplayable and won her last 10 games as she danced her way to the podium amidst cheers from her home town crowd.
