Maria Sharapova proved on Saturday she will be a force to reckon with in the first Grand Slam event of the year after winning the title in the Brisbane International in Australia.

Sharapova, who was a heavy favorite heading into the Brisbane International tournament, scored a 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-3 victory over Ana Ivanovic in the final on Saturday.

The 27-year-old Russian tennis superstar quickly took a commanding 4-1 lead in the opening set and had set points in the 11th game of the match, but Ivanovic answered with a strong rally. Ivanovic forced a tiebreaker where she edged Sharapova to take the hour-long opening set, but Sharapova took control in the next two sets.

Sharapova said after the match that her win against Ivanovic, Elina Svitolina, Carla Suarez-Navarro and Yaroslava Shvedova in the Brisbane tournament would give her a huge boost when she competes at the 2015 Australian Open, which is scheduled to start on Jan. 19 in Melbourne.

"I played four good matches against very different types of opponents. Couldn't have asked for better preparation," Sharapova said via ESPN.

With her successful campaign in Brisbane, Sharapova also inched closer to claiming the No. 1 ranking from top-ranked Serena Williams. Sharapova has a chance to surpass Williams, depending on their performance at the 2015 Australian Open.

"Now that I won a tournament, maybe I have a better chance of going higher in the ranking. Right now I am No. 2; the next spot is 1," said Sharapova, who only dropped one set in Brisbane.

Meanwhile, Roger Federer is also doing well in his preparation for the 2015 Australian Open as the 17-time Grand Slam champion advanced to the men's final of the Brisbane International.

Federer cruised to an easy 6-2, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov on Saturday to arrange a final showdown with Milos Raonic. Aside from adding another title on his list of achievements, a win against Raonic in the final would also give Federer the 1,000th win of his career.

"It's a goal for the season, so I still have time to get to a thousand," Federer said, according to ESPN. "I mean, it's a really big number, no doubt about it. Love to get it tomorrow, especially in the finals in an ATP event where most of my wins have come. If not tomorrow, I hope it happens at the Australian Open."

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