VTennis News - Maria Sharapova NewsMaria Sharapova Wins the Australian Open and Her 3rd Grand Slam Title - Jan-08 Maria Sharapova won her third career grand slam title after beating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic seven five, six three wining the Women's singles Final in Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena at the 2008 Australian Open tennis tournament. Sharapova played to an extremely high standard of tennis throughout the tournament without losing a set and won the final in ninety one minutes. Seeded fifth, Maria dedicated the win to her coach's late mother, who died of cancer last year and commented; "I want to dedicate this win to her. After that loss, we all suffered. I gained a whole new perspective in how to treat life with respect,"Sharapova explained how she received a message before the tennis match from US great Billie Jean King and read "Champions take chances. Pressure is a privilege" and expressed how deeply this had inspired her. Ana Ivanovic who has also played superbly this tournament was emotional as she congratulated Sharapova for giving her a tough time and commented by saying; "I'm sure we will play many more matches in the future," she said, before thanking the crowd. "I'm very emotional and you guys make it a really special experience for me." "I still think I have a lot of grand slam finals in front of me," "So it's just a learning experience and a learning process." With only six months separating the age between Maria Sharapova and Ana Ivanovic it was Sharapova’s greater Grand Slam tennis experience shone through and on the day Ivanovic found her just to hot to handle. Maria Sharapova next flies off to Israel and make her first tennis appearance for her homeland Russia in the Fed Cup.
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