Maria Sharapova captured her first WTA title of 2007 with a victory at the $1.34 million San Diego Classic.
The top-seeded Russian defeated Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 on Sunday to repeat as champion at the hardcourt tournament that proved a springboard to her US Open triumph weeks later.

Sharapova had appeared to be on her way to another runaway victory after taking the first set in convincing fashion.

But Schnyder converted a critical break point in the second set to go ahead 5-3 and served out the set to force the winner-take-all finale.

“I don’t think we’ve ever played an easy match,” Sharapova said. “She’s a lefty so she makes it extra tricky for everyone.”

Sharapova restored her momentum in the decisive set, breaking Schnyder in the second game before winning the final four games to close out the match.

The Russian, ranked second in the world, improved to 6-1 lifetime against Schnyder and has won the last five meetings between the players, including a thrilling three-set triumph in the fourth round of this year’s French Open. It was also Sharapova’s first tournament win since Linz last October.

Roddick triumphs
Ameican top seed Andy Roddick won his third ATP Washington Classic title, defeating upstart John Isner 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) Sunday to end a fairy-tale run by the unheralded 416th-ranked American newcomer, adds AFP.

Roddick, who also won at Washington in 2001 and 2005, captured his 23rd career singles crown and second of the year at the $600,000 tune-up for the US Open, the year’s final Grand Slam event that begins in three weeks.

“I was happy with the way I could control things with my serve,” Roddick said. “I was putting pressure on him.

“I was making him serve well out of jams. I returned well. If I was putting a racket on it I was putting it on the court.”

Wild card Isner missed out on a perfect ending to a week that saw him win five matches in a row in third-set tie-breakers, thought to be an unprecedented feat.