Maria Sharapova beats Kristina Barrois 7-5, 6-1 to win Strasbourg International title

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Sharapova beats Barrois in Strasbourg final

STRASBOURG, France — Maria Sharapova defeated Kristina Barrois of Germany 7-5, 6-1 Saturday in the Strasbourg International final to win her 22nd title.

The top-seeded Russian trailed 5-3 in the first set before winning seven straight games.

Sharapova, who is looking to get back to top form after a right elbow injury, captured her first title since she won at Memphis in February.

The 13th-ranked Sharapova broke twice in the first set and dropped serve once.

She broke the unseeded Barrois twice more in the second set, closing out the match with a backhand winner.

In the first set, Barrois was mixing up her shots and troubling Sharapova with her backhand slice. But Sharapova adjusted after a chat with her coach Michael Joyce during a changeover and rallied to 5-5 when the unseeded German sent a backhand pass wide.

Sharapova had shoulder surgery in February 2009 and dropped outside the top 10 for the first time in five years. She dropped as far as No. 126 before rebounding to close last year at No. 14.