Sharapova defeats Stosur for title Italian Open

ROME - Maria Sharapova defeated Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4 in the Italian Open final Sunday for the biggest title of his career clay-court.

Filippo Monteforte/AFP/Getty ImagesMaria Sharapova defeated Sam Stosur 6-2, 6-4, in the Italian Open final Sunday.

After a delay of three hours of rain, the seventh seed Sharapova won the opening four games, then crosses from there to its victory over the head of Caroline Wozniacki in the semi-finals.

This tournament is a phase of preparation key to the French Open, the clay-court Grand Slam which starts in a week, and Sharapova now clearly will be one of the Favorites in Paris.

Sharapova is a winner of Grand Slam three times, and Roland Garros remains the only major title she has not won.

"It's just the beginning of lots of things to come." "Sharapova, is that the beginning of everything," said at the trophy ceremony.

Men final, Rafael Nadal is set to resume his burgeoning rivalry with no. 2 Novak Djokovic. Djokovic beat Nadal in three previous finals, the two have played this year, including his first victory on clay on the Spanish in Madrid last week.

Nadal has won five clay-court tournament this past six years, while Djokovic straddles a series of WINS 38-match.

Stosur had not reached a final since losing to Francesca Schiavone at Roland Garros last year, and the Australian is now 0-8 in his career against Sharapova.

A former No. 1, Sharapova had been difficult to regain his top form since undergoing surgery to his right shoulder in October 2008 - which caused her to Miss 10 months.

The Russia has won its last title in Strasbourg, in France, a year ago.

With her fiancé and the New Jersey Nets for guard Sasha Vujacic watching in the stands, Sharapova did not drop a set throughout the week, and she needed only 1 hour, 23 minutes to beat Stosur.