TENNIS in DEPTH.

Sharapova overcame a first-set letdown on Sunday, rallying to beat Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3 for the championship of the Western & Southern Open. The fourth-seeded Russian survived a match full of service breaks—16 in all, seven in the final set alone—for her second title of the season. Sharapova’s best moments came in the tiebreaker, when she won the last five points to even the match. “That’s pretty much it, putting five points together that were well-played,” she said. Such stretches were rare in a ragged match that lasted 2 hours, 49 minutes and had a pair of brief rain delays. The 14th-ranked Jankovic extended her streak of 17 months without a singles title. She won in Cincinnati in 2009, but hasn’t gotten a championship since Indian Wells on March 21 last year. “This match could have gone either way,” she said. “I had my chances. It showed the match is not over until you shake the hand.”

Jankovic shook hands and then sat in her chair after the match, biting a white towel while staring straight ahead, thinking about what had just happened. The match ended when her baseline forehand sailed wide. Despite the loss, Jankovic was upbeat. She came to Cincinnati feeling rusty and lacking confidence after playing few matches lately and having little success. “I’m pretty unpredictable,” she said. “If somebody told me I was going to play a final here, I would right away sign the paper.”

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