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| Photo: Getty Images |
The Russian took ruthless advantage of a nervy and error-strewn performance from the 21st seed playing in her first Grand Slam final.
Sharapova - whose run to the final took her back to the top of the world rankings - becomes the 10th woman to win the full set of all four Grand Slam titles that seemed so unlikely after several injury-plagued years.
The six foot two inch Sharapova stormed into a 4-0 lead in the first set in just 15 minutes.
Errani, looking to emulate compatriot Francesca Schiavone who won the 2010 title, was clearly struck by stagefright on her Grand Slam final debut.
But she clawed her way onto the scoreboard to get to 2-4, before the more composed Russian went to 5-2.
And although the tough Italian saved two set points in the eighth game, a big backhand down the line secured the opener for Sharapova at 6-3.
Errani hit just three winners to Sharapova's 12 in the first set and despite knocking out former champions Ana Ivanovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova on her way to the final, she was being overpowered.
Errani, 10 days younger than her opponent, bravely stopped the rot, mixing up her game to retrieve a break before handing it straight back to the iron-willed Sharapova for 5-2.
The the 25-year-old Sharapova saw two match points saved by a pair of exquisite Errani drop shots.
But victory was hers when Errani netted a return, ending the 90-minute final.
The newly crowned world number one added the Coupe Suzanne Lenglen to her triumphs at Wimbledon in 2004, the US Open in 2006 and the 2008 Australian Open.
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