Svetlana Kuznetsova

KUZNETSOVA WINS MIAMI TITLE

Russian Svetlana Kuznatsova claimed the singles title in Miami by winning 6-4, 6-3 over countrymate Maria Sharapova in the final.

20 year old Kuznetsova, ranked 14th in the world, beat her rival in only 90 minutes with precise and powerful shots. Sharapova, 18, who is usually the agressor on a tennis court, seemed destabilized by the fact that, for a rare occasion, the roles were reversed.

It is a first title in 18 months for Kuznetsova. Her last triumph came in Bali, in September 2004, one week after grasping the US Open title. Her last apperance in a final was in May 2005, in Warsaw, where she had lost to Belgium’s Justinne Henin-Hardenne.

Sharapova, 4th in the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour rankings, was bidding for a second consecutive title after winning at Indian Wells two weeks ago by defeating Russian Elena Dementieva. Sharapova also lost in the final in Miami last year, falling to Belgian Kim Clijsters.

It was the fifth meeting between the two players. Each had previously won two matchups but Sharapova had won the last two, including a quarterfinal match at the 2005 Australian Open.

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