Newz Forum: OTHER: TENNIS: Sharapova claims title

Russian teenage sensation Maria Sharapova insists she can win Wimbledon after coming up with the "perfect" preparation. The 17-year-old from Siberia, the youngest of six Russian girls in the world's top 15, claimed a 4-6 6-2 6-1 victory over unseeded French youngster Tatiana Golovin in the final of the DFS Classic in Birmingham.

It was Sharapova's third WTA tour singles success but her first on grass and she will head for SW19 with realistic hopes of going all the way after reaching the fourth round as a relative unknown a year ago.

BBC Sport

Sharapova, who reached the fourth round in SW19 last year, dropped the opening set to her 16-year-old French opponent. But the 17-year-old Russian, seeded three, recovered her poise to eventually prevail 4-6 6-2 6-1.

Sharapova claimed her third tour title after victories last season in Quebec and Tokyo. And after the match her thoughts immediately turned to Wimbledon.

"Every tournament I play, I want to win," she said.

"It will be a dream come true if I can win it, but why not? I have seen players a long time ago play and win at a young age, so why can I not?"

"This is the best preparation you can get, getting so many tough matches in, a good win and a week off. It's very good preparation."

"And, when you win a title, it always gives you confidence that you can win more."

Golovin said: "She's a great player, ranked 15th in the world, and so this is a great achievement for me."