Meghann Shaughnessy had
the perfect boost ahead of the Australian Open by coasting to her third career
WTA Tour title on Saturday.
The second-seeded American crushed Italian fifth seed Francesca Schiavone 6-1
6-1, to lift the Canberra Women's Classic trophy.
Shaughnessy, who reached the final at Sydney a year ago, collected the top
prize to add to her 2000 Shanghai and 2001 Quebec titles.
Ranked 30th in the world at the end of 2002, Shaughnessy did not drop a set
this week and now looks to improve upon her third-round loss at the Australian
Open a year ago.
The 23-year-old's best Grand Slam results came in 2001, when she advanced to
the last 16 at the French Open and Wimbledon.
The 22-year-old Schiavone still awaits her first Tour title but managed to
reach her second final after accomplishing the feat at the 2000 Tashkent event.
Schiavone, who also made the third round at Melbourne Park in 2002, was a
quarter-finalist at the 2001 French Open and reached the fourth round at last
year's US Open.