Injuries were the early news of the last Premier mandatory event of 2014: the top two seeds both pulled out after quarterfinal match wins due to injuries, but the other two top seeds delivered.
In a final that featured the top Russian against the top Czech, Maria Sharapova defeated Petra Kvitova in a three set victory. Final score: 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.
This was Maria’s first Beijing title. It was also her first win on hard courts since 2013 in Indian Wells. She now has four titles for 2014, which ties her with Petra, and only trailing Serena Williams, who has six. The win also boosts Maria’s ranking to No. 2, the highest for the year, and ahead of Kvitova and Halep.
In a match that featured lots of power hitting, but not many rallies, both players committed more unforced errors than they scored winners, both had five break of serves. Sharapova only scored three more points than Kvitova in a contest that took 2 hours and 28 minutes.
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Cover Photo (Creative Commons License): Marianne Bevis