Sweet victory for Sharapova

Japan Open

Pictures from the final

Russian teenager Maria Sharapova claimed her first WTA Tour title after a hard-fought victory over unseeded Aniko Kapros.

The 16-year-old came through 2-6 6-2 7-6 after recovering from 5-2 down in the third-set tie-break.

"I really had a good feeling that I was going to get through this match," admitted the fifth seed.

"I believed in myself, even when I was down in the tiebreaker I knew I could do it and I did."

Sharapova, whose previous best result was a semi-final in Birmingham in the run-up to this year's Wimbledon, earned $27,000 for her victory.

"I'm happy that I showed I can pull through in a final, just 16 years old, down 5-2 in the tiebreaker," said the fifth-seeded Sharapova, who has been dubbed the new Anna Kournikova.

"That's got nothing to do with looks, but it shows signs of a champion.

"I really hope I'm not going to get all those Anna Kournikova questions anymore."