Maria Sharapova rallies to win her third Italian Open title

Maria Sharapova came from one set down to beat 10th seed Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6, 7-5, 6-1, sealing her third Italian Open title.

Struggling in temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, the world number three could not compete with a near-perfect opening set of tennis from her Spanish opponent.

The defending French Open champion made a noticeable improvement in the second set, though, stepping forward on the court and attacking Navarro’s serve. Sharapova’s first two titles in Rome came back-to-back in 2011 and 2012.

Later, Roger Federer faces Novak Djokovic in the men’s final.