Maria Sharapova of Russia holds her trophy after winning the women's singles final match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing October 5, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
Maria Sharapova of Russia holds her trophy after winning the women's singles final match against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic at the China Open tennis tournament in Beijing October 5, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer REUTERS

Maria Sharapova has won her fourth title this season at the 2014 China Open. The Russian tennis star defeated Petra Kvitova, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 in the finale in Beijing on Oct. 5. It was a sweet victory for Sharapova's first Beijing trophy because it has also heightened her rankings in the latest Women's Tennis Association (WTA) world rankings. The 27-year old now sits at second place behind rival Serena Williams.

Sharapova easily took the first set after Kvitova committed 17 unforced errors. Then, Kvitova bounced back in the second set, winning games one after the other to force a decider. However, Sharapova made a comeback in the third to win in the match that lasted for two hours and 28 minutes.

With her Beijing victory, Sharapova has extended her winning streak over Kvitova to five. Sharapova still leads their head-to-head record, 6-2.

Sharapova has played Kvitova twice in 2014. They played against each other in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters, where Sharapova won in straight sets, 7-5, 6-1. The finals in Beijing was their second meeting in the current season.

Speaking via WTA's official website, Sharapova admitted that it was tough to play against Kvitova. "You don't always quite get a good rhythm," Sharapova said. "She goes for a lot of shots, very deep, and she's a very good, confident player," Sharapova added.

Sharapova said that Kvitova is in the midst of a series of successes. She said the Czech athlete was the toughest opponent she could ever face in a finals match, considering all the feat that Kvitova has achieved in the current season. Kvitova, who ranks fourth in the world, has won three titles this season including the Wimbledon Championships, Connecticut Open, and the inaugural Wuhan Open.

Sharapova was delighted of her first Beijing trophy. She took her excitement to Twitter and shared a snap of her holding the award to her 1.3 million followers.

It took me a few years to find out how heavy that trophy is.Well worth the wait Thank you Beijing for a great week. pic.twitter.com/bMgiHM59Qu

— Maria Sharapova (@MariaSharapova) October 5, 2014

Sharapova has received 1000 points from the 2014 China Open. She took a two-place leap from the fourth place to the second spot in the current WTA World Rankings. Sharapova has also received prize money worth $935,000 from the Beijing tournament.

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