Maria Sharapova has captured her fifth title of the season with a 7-5 6-2 triumph over compatriot Nadia Petrova in the final of the Linz Open.
Sharapova was forced to save two set points in the opening set but held out her serve and then broke Petrova to claim the set.
The world number two then proved too strong for Petrova in the second set and utilised her strong serve to overpower her opponent who had little chance of breaking serve.
Sharapova is now second in the WTA rankings behind Amelie Mauresmo and said afterwards that it was her dream to finish the year as number one, which she can achieve at the year-ending championships in Madrid.
