Maria Sharapova's Australian Open preparations continued Saturday with victory over Ana Ivanovic in the Brisbane International final.
Sharapova, second in world rankings behind Serena Williams, joins Venus Williams (Auckland) and Simona Halep (Shenzhen) in winning the three season-opening titles. Her triumph over Ivanovic came in a hard-fought 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-3 in two hours and 42 minutes.
"I played four good matches against very different types of opponents. Couldn't have asked for better preparation," Sharapova said. "Now that I won a tournament, maybe I have a better chance of going higher in the rankings. Right now I am No. 2; the next spot is 1."
Sharapova's impressive display against Ivanovic cements her place as one of the favorites at the first grand slam of the year in Melbourne. The Australian Open begins Jan. 19.
It was Sharapova's 34th career title. She won the French Open in 2014.
Contributing: Sportal.com.au, USA Today