Top seed Amelie Mauresmo rallied to beat Russia's sixth-seeded Vera Zvonareva 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 and complete a successful defence of her Advanta championship title in Philadelphia on Sunday.
It was the Frenchwoman's second title in as many weeks and her fifth this year, improving her record to 5-0 against Zvonareva.
"The consistency is what I've been looking for the past few years," said Mauresmo. "And I feel I have that now."
After a slow start, Mauresmo, who held the number one ranking for five weeks earlier this year, gradually began to find her rhythm. She eventually took control of the contest in the third set by constructing a 4-1 lead.
"I wanted to take control of the game and make her play," said Mauresmo. "I was reading her game much better, moving much better. I also was able to pump myself up.
|
Mauresmo, who won the Linz Open a week ago, will play in next week's season-ending WTA championships in Los Angeles.
Zvonareva will also make the trip to Los Angeles for the lucrative $3 million event, having secured her place in the elite eight-player field earlier in the week.
Other players qualifying for the event include world number one Lindsay Davenport, U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, French Open winner Anastasia Myskina, twice grand slam finalist Elena Dementieva, Serena Williams and Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova.
More from rediff