Posted at 5:49 p.m., Friday, January 26, 2007
Serena Williams rips Sharapova to win Australian Open
Bloomberg News Service
Serena Williams trounced top-seeded Maria Sharapova in straight sets to win the Australian Open and clinch her eighth Grand Slam tennis title.The 25-year-old Williams, ranked 81st after missing most of the 2006 season because of injuries, won the first five games before completing a 6-1, 6-2 victory at Melbourne Park.
Williams secured her third Australian Open to become only the second unseeded women's champion at a Grand Slam since 1969. It was the American's first tournament win since the 2005 Australian Open.
The 19-year-old Sharapova of Russia, seeking a third major title after winning the 2006 U.S. Open, produced an error-strewn performance to lose for the first time in 14 Grand Slam matches.
