Aggressive game helped me beat Errani: Sharapova

Istanbul: Aggression powered Maria Sharapova to victory over Italy's Sara Errani in her opening match at the USD 4.9 million WTA championships here, the Russian said.

In a repeat of their only previous meeting in June's French Open final, Sharapova emerged victorious by a score of 6-3, 6-2 against Errani on Tuesday.

Cautious play allowed Errani to control the start of the match, when the first four games all went with serve, Sharapova said.

"It was a slow start. I gave Sara a lot of time, and that's what she likes," the world No.2 said on the WTA website.