ZURICH, Switzerland, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Russia's Maria Sharapova, the No. 2 seed, Sunday won the Zurich Open tennis tournament at Zurich, Switzerland, successfully defending her 2005 title.
Sharapova -- this year's U.S. Open champion and the former world No. 1 in women's tennis -- beat unseeded Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3.
She earned $196,900.
"I try to play my best at the bigger events and this week I improved as I went on with each match," Sharapova said. "I'm happy with how I dealt with everything this week and I played really well to get out of some tough situations."
Her fourth title of the year tied her with current world No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo for second place for most wins in 2006.
The 23-year-old Hantuchova was making her fifth career appearance in a singles final and her first this year.
