Russian teen takes first Korea Open

Maria Sharapova, the world’s eighth-ranked female tennis player, crushed Poland’s Marta Domachowska, 6-1, 6-1 to capture the inaugural Hansol Korea Open Tennis Championship on Sunday.
In the final match, which lasted 56 minutes, the 17-year-old Russian brushed aside the challenge from Domachowska, 18, who is ranked 100th in the world.
Sharapova received 25 million won ($22,000) in prize money, on top of her appearance fee of $120,000, at the first Women’s Tennis Association tournament in South Korea.
The Russian teenager added another WTA title just three months after winning the Wimbledon title. It was her third singles title this year, becoming one of only five women this season to win at least three WTA singles titles.
Sharapova said that it was nice to have a tournament in South Korea, and that she would like to come back next year. She spent the rest of her time in South Korea visiting a Lotte Department Store and Lotte World, an amusement park, in Jamsil.
Her next tournament is the AIG Japan Open Tennis Championships 2004, which began yesterday.

by Nam Koong-wook