SHARAPOVA SLAMS HOME THE POINT Russian becomes only the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles; defeats Italy’s Sara Errani 6-3 6-2 in the French Open final

SHARAPOVA SLAMS HOME THE POINT

Russian becomes only the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam titles; defeats Italy’s Sara Errani 6-3 6-2 in the French Open final

Already a big name on the red carpet, Maria Sharapova is now a champion on the red clay, too. The Russian star won the French Open on Saturday, defeating Sara Errani 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam. Second-seeded Sharapova, who was guaranteed of moving to No 1 in the world regardless of the result, jumped to a quick 4-0 lead against the 21st-seeded Errani, who was in her first Grand Slam final. But Errani battled back on a cool, blustery day in Paris, turning what looked like a blowout into an 89-minute endurance contest, filled with long rallies that forced Sharapova to reach back and find another gear. Eventually, Sharapova’s bigger serve and bigger groundstrokes wore down Errani, who at 5 foot 4 stands almost 10 inches shorter than her opponent. When Errani netted a short backhand on the third match point, Sharapova dropped gingerly to her knees and buried her head in her hands, then reached back and looked heavenward — a long, hard road back to the top finally capped with the only major title that had eluded her. Along with hoisting the French Open trophy for the first time, she’ll be back at No 1 on Monday for the first time since June 2008.