Maria Sharapova beats Ana Ivanovic to win third Stuttgart title

London: Sixth seed Maria Sharapova beat Ana Ivanovic in three sets to win her third consecutive Porsche Tennis Grand Prix title in Stuttgart, Germany on Sunday.

The Russian-born tennis star won 3-6 6-4 6-1 to claim her 30th career title and improve her record in Stuttgart to 13-0.

Ninth seed Ivanovic initially powered her way to a five nil lead in the first set and achieved a break, before Sharapova struck back by winning 11 of the last 13 games, reports the BBC.

Sharapova described her win over Ivanovic as a "tough bit of work."

Ivanovic has lost seven of her previous nine matches against Sharapova, including the last six in a row.