Maria Sharapova gave her Wimbledon preparations a boost by beating Tatiana Golovin to win the DFS Classic at Edgbaston on Sunday. Sharapova, who reached the fourth round in SW19 last year, dropped the opening set to her 16-year-old French opponent.
But the 17-year-old Russian, seeded three, recovered her poise to eventually prevail 4-6 6-2 6-1.
Sharapova claimed her third tour title after victories last season in Quebec and Tokyo.
And after the match her thoughts immediately turned to Wimbledon.
"Every tournament I play, I want to win," she said.
"It will be a dream come true if I can win it, but why not? I have seen players a long time ago play and win at a young age, so why can I not?
"This is the best preparation you can get, getting so many tough matches in, a good win and a week off. It's very good preparation.
"And, when you win a title, it always gives you confidence that you can win more."
Golovin said: "She's a great player, ranked 15th in the world, and so this is a great achievement for me."
MMIX
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