Nicole Vaidisova of the Czech Republic defeated Peng Shuai of China to win the championship title at the Tier III clay court Strasbourg International. The Czech took her sixth career WTA title, beating Peng in two sets, 7-6 (6) and 6-3. The Chinese played her first WTA final. Peng defeated the defending champion Anabel Medina Garrigues of Spain earlier in the semifinal.

“I am going to Paris as well prepared as I can be,” the 17 year old said, where she will meet Marta Domachowska in the first round. Vaidisova is seeded 16th at Roland Garros.

“This is the best preparation for Roland Garros. To win an event on the same surface is the best preparation you can have. I am extremely happy with my week here in Strasbourg.

“I had to get cut down on my errors to get back on track. She had a couple of chances in the tiebreak to take the set, but I was luckier. We were both very nervous,” the Czech youngster said.

“I reached my first final and that is a good thing. Now I will forget about this loss and concentrate on the Grand Slams,” Peng said, who will meet Russian Elena Vesnina in the French Open first round.

Maria Sharapova, preparing in Mexico for the claycourt season, has injured her foot during practice because of it she was forced to cancel her exhibition matches in Mexico where she would play Gisela Dulko.

An MRI showed that Maria has inflammation in her right metatarsal joint with associated soft tissue swelling of the posterior tibialis insertion. She will recover fully, but cannot play tennis for the next few days,” according to Dr. Mark Lindsay.

She should be playing again in a week according to him. She is currently preparing for the Masters tournament in Rome.

Maria Sharapova has become without a doubt the most sponsored sports star in the world. After succesfully launching her perfumeline “Sharapova” in Miami Maria now has the oppertunity to rest for a while before Rome, her next tournament.

Maria has recently also signed a lucrative deal with Rover. Rover has chosen Maria to be the new representative of the upcoming Rover collection.

Yet another sponsor for Maria.

Sharapova is not only the name of a champion but also a trademark that sells. Maria has become a down to earth champion and also a businesswoman who knows what she wants.