World No 7 Elena Dementieva came from a set down to defeat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-7, 6-1, 6-4 to win the Paris Indoor Open for the first time on Sunday. The 28-year-old Russian, who lost to Amelie Mauresmo in the final last year, was forced to work hard by Safarova.
The unseeded Czech, a losing finalist in Paris in 2007, made a bright start as she broke Dementieva's opening service game. The top seed, who also had to come from a set down to win in the quarter and semi-finals, broke back but it was Safarova who showed the cooler nerve in the tiebreak, taking it 7-5 with a rasping cross-court backhand.
Dementieva came back powerfully in the second set, though, twice breaking serve.
The left-handed Safarova, ranked 46th in the world, got her serve working again in the third set until her opponent cranked up the pressure in the seventh game to break for a 4-3 lead.
Safarova saved two championship points in her next service game and a third on Dementieva's serve. But the Russian made no mistake with her fourth as she claimed a cheque for $107,000.
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