Radwanska earned her ninth career WTA Tour title and second victory of 2012 with a 7-5, 6-4 dismantling of the mistake-prone Sharapova.
The 23-year-old from Krakow won earlier this year in Dubai, but this marked the biggest win of her career as she competed in Miami at a new career-high ranking of fourth in the world.
“I got a lot of good wins this year against top players,” said Radwanska. “I was trying from the beginning to focus on my serve, put my first serve in and go for it. I think I did a really good job today and the serve was the key.”
Radwanska becomes just the second multiple title winner on the WTA Tour this season, behind world number one Victoria Azarenka, as she clinched the Miami crown without dropping a set in six matches.
Radwanska clearly won the matchup of her savvy all-court game against Sharapova’s power display.
“I thought she played extremely well, was very consistent, got that extra ball back and I made that extra mistake,” said Sharapova. “She didn’t give me many errors. When I had my chances at break point, I didn’t take them. When she had them, she did.”
The loss leaves the 24-year-old Sharapova still chasing her first win in Miami.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 2nd, 2012.
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