Maria Sharapova, Novak Djokovic win China Open titles

Novak Djokovic brushed aside Tomas Berdych to claim the China Open title in Beijing while Maria Sharapova was pushed all the way by Petra Kvitova to win the women's title yesterday

Beijing: Novak Djokovic brushed aside Tomas Berdych to claim the China Open title in Beijing while Maria Sharapova was pushed all the way by Petra Kvitova to win the women's title yesterday.


Maria Sharapova poses with the winner's trophy at the China National Tennis Centre in Beijing yesterday 

Top seed Djokovic needed just one hour and six minutes to see off Berdych 6-0, 6-2 and claim his fifth Beijing crown.

Russia's Sharapova fell away in the second set but rallied in the third to come through with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 victory. Sharapova had cruised to the final without dropping a set but showed her mettle as she battled to a win which lifted her to No 2 in the world rankings with her fourth WTA title of the year.

"It was a bit of an up-and-down match I'd say — maybe not the best out of the tournament," Sharapova told www.wtatennis.com.

Serbia's Novak Djokovic kisses his trophy after win over Tomas Berdych in Beijing yesterday. Pics/AFP, Getty Images

"But it's never easy playing against Petra. She goes for a lot of shots, very deep, and she's a very good, confident player. I knew she'd been on a roll in the last couple of weeks.

It's probably the toughest opponent you can face in a final, that's had that success, yet you just want to focus on your side, what you do best," she added.

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