- Maria Sharapova returned to tennis in April and has won her first title
- The Russian tennis star was banned for 15 months after positive Meldonium test
- Sharapova defeated Aryna Sabalenka at the Tianjin Open 7-5 7-6 (8)
- The triumph is her first WTA tour title since winning the Italian Open in May 2015
Maria Sharapova has clinched her first WTA title since returning to the court after serving a 15 month ban after beating Aryna Sabalenka to win the Tianjin Open.
Sharapova was suspended by the WTA after testing positive for Meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open but made her comeback in April.
The five-time grand slam champion, a tournament wildcard, overcame Belarusian teenager Sabalenka 7-5 7-6 (8) in a straight-sets victory on Sunday.
Maria Sharapova has continued her return to the sport with her first title since her comeback
The 30-year-old defeated Aryna Sabalenka at the Tianjin Open 7-5 7-6 (8) on Sunday
Sharapova trailed World No 102 Sabalenka 4-1 and 5-1 in the first and second sets. But the 30-year-old Russian, who did not drop a set en route to Sunday’s final, fought back on each occasion to claim her first title in 29 months, winning the second-set tie-breaker 10-8.
The former World No 1 came under strong scrutiny and criticisms by fellow professionals as well as pundits as fans after returning to the sport and dropped to almost 300 on the WTA rankings.
Her victory came as a shock having trailed 4-1 and 5-1 in the first and second sets
But recovered in both to snatch victory from her Belurisian opponent 10-8 in the tie-break
The former world number one was denied a wild card for the French Open, before missing Wimbledon through injury. She was granted a wild card for the US Open and reached the fourth round before losing to Latvia’s Anastasija Sevastova.
The Russian’s return has since began to gain momentum and after climbing back to 86th in the world and is celebrating her first title since she won the Italian Open back in May 2015.
More to follow…
Sharapova beaming with joy after first title since return from 15 ban from tennis