ABU DHABI, Feb. 25 (Xinhuanet)
-- Former world number one Justine Henin-Hardenne won her third title at Dubai
Open after the fourth-seeded Belgian beat Russion Maria Sharapova 7-5, 6-2 in
the WTA Tour event's final on Saturday.
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Henin-Hardenne (L) &
Sharapova (R) in the competition
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It's the 25th title of Henin-Hardenne's career and
her second tournament victory of the year after winning in Sydney and finishing
runner-up at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
"It's an amazing feeling," said the four-time Grand
Slam winner. "It's great, because I didn't know really what to expect before
coming here after my health problems in Australia."
Third seed Sharapova, denied her 11th career title in
her first final since she won on grass in Birmingham in June, was particularly
adventurous in trying her luck at the net with varying degrees of success.
However, the 18-year-old Russian lost her patience in
the rallies in the latter stages and failed to build a winning position.
Since her Birmingham victory last year, Sharapova had
lost six straight semi-finals, including those of Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and
the Australian Open, until her win over Lindsay Davenport on Friday put her into
this final. Enditem
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