Mary Pierce Crowned 2005 Acura Classic Champion

Sixth-seeded Mary Pierce of France defeated Japan’s Ai Sugiyama, 6-0, 6-3, in Sunday’s final to win the 2005 Acura Classic.

It was a sweet victory at the La Costa Resort and Spa for Pierce, the fan favorite who was playing at the Acura Classic for the ninth time.

Prior to this year, Pierce advanced to the quarterfinals here four times, the semifinal twice and the final once. But in each instance she was stopped short of the title.

This year there was no stopping Pierce as she dominated the field. She opened the week eliminating Germany’s Anna-Lena Groenfeld, 6-1, 6-1 and her French Cup teammate Nathalie Dechy, 7-5, 6-3 in her first two matches.

Pierce took out Switzerland’s Patty Schnyder, 6-4, 6-3, in the quarterfinals. In her semifinal match, she defeated China’s new star, Shuai Peng, 6-2, 6-2.

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