Maria Sharapova won the Premier-mandatory China Open 2014 title in Beijing on Sunday and will be back as world number two player. The Russian tennis superstar defeated Petra Kvitova 6-4, 2-6, 6-3. The winner of the match will secure the number two ranking and it was Sharapova who emerged as the victor.
“It was a bit of an up-and-down match I’d say – maybe not the best out of the tournament,” Sharapova said during the post-match press conference. “But it’s never easy playing against Petra. You don’t always quite get a good rhythm. She goes for a lot of shots, very deep, and she’s a very good, confident player.
“I knew she’d been on a roll in the last couple of weeks. It’s probably the toughest opponent you can face in a final, that’s had that success, yet you just want to focus on your side, what you do best.
“She became the more aggressive player in the second set. I think I took a few too many steps back and let her play that way. But I was able to lift my game again in the third and come out with a win.”
It was a reversal of fortunes for Sharapova, who lost in the early round of last week’s inaugural Wuhan Open.
“It was a disappointing result for me in Wuhan,” she said. “I thought I was ready for the tournament and wanted to compete. I just didn’t end up with a positive result. Within the time frame of only a couple of days until my first round here, I just had to settle down a bit. Sometimes it just takes a few little things to change things around – maybe some of those results ultimately get you to this position.
“I’m proud I just took a couple of days and did the work I could, and changed the result here.”
Kvitova, fresh from a title run at Wuhan, was understandably tired from playing a lot of matches in the past two weeks.
“Yeah, I was tired, but it was a final, and every time I’m playing a final, I’m giving everything I have inside,” Kvitova said. “What I did today was a great battle. It was small things and small points that made the difference in the end. I had some chances, but Maria just didn’t let them go.
“She just played really well. And we played two and a half, so I hope the fans enjoyed it too.”
In doubles, Peng Shuai and Andrea Hlavackova defeated number two seeds Sania Mirza and Cara Black 6-4, 6-4.
“It’s really exciting to win because it is the second tournament together for me and Andrea,” Peng said. “In the second set when we were up 4-0, I was so tight and at that moment I could not even swing at the ball.
“It’s really thanks to Andrea that we won. She kept talking to me, smiling out there and making me loose. After the match in the locker room, we said to each other, ‘It’s not bad idea we teamed up!'”
