Maria Sharapova spanked Li Na 6-4, 6-3 on Sunday to defend her WTA Porsche Grand Prix title.
The final was a battle between the last two French Open champions.
Sharapova, seeded first, tallied her second title of the year after winning in Indian Wells, California. She became the first player to retain the Stuttgart title since Lindsey Davenport in 2005.
”I thought it’d be the toughest match of the tournament, but I played my best tennis today,” Sharapova said. ”I was able to step it up.”
This was the Russian’s 29th career title and 16th consecutive win on clay, dating to Rome last year. Since Stuttgart last year, she is 23-1 on clay. Her only defeat was inflicted by Serena Williams in Madrid.
Sharapova, ranked No. 2, was using the Stuttgart tournament for her clay-court debut this season, as she did last year when she went on to capture the French Open.
The second-seeded Li had a double-fault on match point, with another one earlier in the final game. ”I was under pressure on her return,” she said. ”She was aggressive.”
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