Sharapova Wins Austrailian Open

MELBOURNE, Australia (Ticker) -- Maria Sharapova finally was challenged at the Australian Open, but the end result seemed inevitable. The fifth-seeded Sharapova won the third Grand Slam title of her career on Saturday with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over No. 4 Ana Ivanovic in the Australian Open final. Though Ivanovic provided Sharapova with her toughest match at this $20.6 hardcourt major, it was not enough to deny the Russian her first win here and 17th career singles title.

"This is incredible," said Sharapova, who was hindered by a nagging shoulder injury in 2007. "If someone told me in the middle of last year that I would be standing on this stage in front of you with (the championship trophy), I would have told you to 'forget it.'" Ivanovic never appeared intimidated by the former world No. 1, who had crushed the competition on her way to the championship match, dropping just 24 games in six matches and being broken only five times in that span.

"I really felt comfortable out there," Ivanovic said. "Obviously (I was nervous) in the beginning, like every other match, but I managed to hold my nerves really well out there today. "But she's a tough opponent and she saw when I had troubles with my serve or with my forehand and she used that well."

NCS Photo/Bradley Cox