Sharapova beats Petrova, wins Generali

LINZ, Austria - Maria Sharapova won her fifth title of the season Sunday, beating defending champion Nadia Petrova 7-5, 6-2 in the final of the Generali Ladies. Sharapova, who is 15-4 in finals, has won 16 straight matches, including the U.S. Open and the Zurich Open finals. She pulled out of the Kremlin Cup before the quarterfinals. The top-seeded Russian saved two set points in the first set, held serve and then broke Petrova before serving out. In the second set, Petrova had few chances against Sharapova's strong serve.-AP