Serena captures record sixth Miami title
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A different opponent produced a similar result for Maria Sharapova in Saturday's Sony Open final.
World No. 1 Serena Williams continued her head-to-head dominance with the Russian star, capturing her record sixth Miami title by rallying for a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 victory at the Tennis Center at Crandon Park on a sun-splashed afternoon.
Williams claimed the final 10 games en route to her 48th career title. She won this event three consecutive years from 2002-04 and captured back-to-back championships in 2007 and '08.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
It was far from an easy task, as Williams admitted during an on-court interview following the match, "Yeah, (Sharapova) definitely pushed me."
In the opening set, Sharapova failed to convert three break points in a third game that lasted roughly 14 minutes and featured eight deuces. Sharapova, however, broke Williams to go up 3-2.
Williams then consolidated a break with a hold for a 4-3 lead, but Sharapova won the next three games to take a set against Williams for the first time since 2008. The American great had won their past 13 sets dating back to a quarterfinal at Charleston.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The third-seeded Sharapova, who was riding an 11-match winning streak that included a triumph at Indian Wells two weeks ago, broke at love to go up 3-2 in the second set, but it was all Williams from that point on.
Williams broke Sharapova on a successful challenge to open the third set, then went up 3-0 after Sharapova committed back-to-back double faults. The 2-hour, 8-minute bout came to a close with an unreturnable serve from the champion.
The 31-year-old Williams fired six aces and was a perfect 7-for-7 on break- point opportunities.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Williams, who became the fourth woman in the Open Era to win the same tournament six times, improved to 12-2 against Sharapova. She has won 11 straight meetings since losing in the final at the 2004 WTA Championships.
For Sharapova, it was another disappointing outcome in Miami.
A five-time Key Biscayne finalist, the Florida resident has yet to break through with a win. She lost to Kim Clijsters in 2005, Svetlana Kuznetsova in '06, Victoria Azarenka in '11 and Agnieszka Radwanska last year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The match between Williams and Sharapova marked the 110th in WTA history, including the fourth in Miami, that spotlighted the top two ranked players on tour.