Maria wins Doha final !

Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova won her second WTA Tour title this month, rallying past Alicia Molik of Australia 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 Saturday in the Qatar Open final. Mariai second seed prevailed over the Australian fourth seed 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 in an intense final to claim the 94,000 dollar top prize and jump to number three in the WTA rankings.

"It was a great match with lots of tense moments," said the Russian star. "I couldn't do anything in the first set because Alicia played so well." Molik broke second-seeded Maria Sharapova in the third game for the first set , and appeared headed for her second title of 2005 after winning in Sydney last month.
But a fired up Maria Sharapova produced two vital service breaks to even the set score, and in the decider, the 17-year-old returned extremely well to break Molik in game five and hold serve, closing the final with an ace. "After losing the first set, I just tried to hang in there and wait for my turn to make something happen," said Maria. "I am glad that I managed to play my best tennis today after the first set."

It was Sharapova's ninth career title . She won the Tokyo Open this month then took two weeks off to recover from the flu. Molik was gracious in defeat. "We had a great match. I can safely say that the best player in the tournament won the title here," the Australian said. "I enjoyed coming here as I have done so in the past. I am sure I will come back to Doha next year."