French Open 2012: Maria Sharapova's Victory a Significant Milestone

Maria Sharapova has had an up-and-down career, but she put herself in elite company Saturday with a win in the finals of the French Open.

Sara Errani has had an impressive tournament, but she was no match for the No. 2 player in the world. Sharapova kept the Italian on the run the entire day and it was too much to overcome.

Aside from a few impressive drop shots, Errani seemed to be in a different league than the eventual champ.

Sharapova dominated the clay court throughout the tournament. She only lost one set in seven matches. Aside from the fourth-round struggle against Klara Zakopalova, no one was able to win more than three games against her in a single set.

The win gives the Russian her fourth career Grand Slam title. More impressively, she has now won each of the four major championships.

She joins an exclusively list of 10 females to win the career Grand Slam. That list includes the best in the sport's history, from Billie Jean King to Martina Navratilova to Stefi Graf.

Serena Williams was the last to accomplish the feat in 2003.

Earning a French Open championship will also do wonders for Sharapova's immediate future, not just her historical legacy.

After bursting onto the scene by winning Wimbledon at 17, she has never really reached her potential. 

The major championships have especially given her trouble, and the Russian has not won a final since 2008. In nine previous appearances, she had not even reached the final at Roland Garros. 

However, this dominant win will not only silence critics, but it could spur her to more success. At 25, she still has plenty of tennis in front of her.

Sharapova has now proven she can win on any surface. Now she just needs to repeat her performance as she attempts to become the best player of her generation.