Maria claims first crown on clay

Top seed Maria Sharapova won her first claycourt title by defeating Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 6-3 in the final of the WTA Amelia Island tournament on Sunday.

The Australian Open champion defeated Cibulkova in just under two hours for her third title of the year and 19th of her career.

It was the first championship on clay for the 20-year-old Sharapova, who had been 0-3 in previous showings.

Cibulkova put up stout opposition in the first set against an opponent who had enjoyed rest on Saturday after being given a walkover in the semifinals because Lindsay Davenport was unwell.

The 18-year-old Cibulkova only yielded the opener in the tiebreak when she dumped a forehand into the net.

The 34th-ranked Slovak was appearing in her maiden WTA Tour final and it was her first meeting with Sharapova.