PARIS — The picture she posed for at the beginning foreshadowed a mismatch in the making — 6-foot-2 Maria Sharapova standing at the net, towering over an opponent nearly 10 inches smaller than her.
The pictures that were snapped at the end told a different story — Sharapova down on her knees after a tougher-than-expected win, head buried in her hands, celebrating after completing a comeback three years in the making and cementing her name among the greatest in tennis.
The Russian star won the French Open yesterday, defeating her tiny Italian opponent, Sara Errani, 6-3, 6-2 in the final at Roland Garros to complete the career Grand Slam.
“It’s been such a journey for me to get to this stage,” Sharapova said. “There are so many people to thank, but most importantly, it’s my wonderful team that keeps me together.”
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 had the makings of 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 1⁄2 stands 9 1⁄2 inches shorter than her opponent.
“She won many points with her serve or in the first two or three shots,” Errani said. “It was difficult. I couldn’t play long points like I wanted to play.”
Sharapova dropped as low as 126th in the rankings after shoulder surgery that threatened her career. She rededicated herself to the game and made a special effort to improve on clay, the surface on which she moved to 18-1 in matches this year.
It was Sharapova’s 27th overall career title. She’ll be back at No. 1 in the WTA rankings tomorrow for the first time since June 2008.