Jelena Jankovic won the Kremlin Cup after beating Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-4 in Sunday's final in Moscow.
Serb makes it three in a row as she outguns home hope
Jelena Jankovic won the Kremlin Cup after beating Vera Zvonareva 6-2 6-4 in Sunday's final in Moscow.
The world number one clinched her third title in a row after a dominating performance against the seventh seed.
Zvonareva was competing in her first final in front of a home crowd, but the Russian was unable to live with the top seed's powerful baseline hitting.
Jankovic, who came into Moscow winning back-to-back titles at the China Open and the Porsche Grand Prix in Germany, was thrilled to win her fourth tournament of the season.
Emotional
"I feel really emotional winning my third event in a row here," Jankovic said.
"It was very tough to win the final as Vera never gives up. She forced me to play my best tennis to win today."
Jankovic, who beat Zvonareva in her two previous events, said she knew she had to earn every point.
"I was really expecting a tough match," she said.
"I was really focused from the start of the match. I went out there aggressive and really played my game and I was really going after the shots.
"Especially the first set I played quite well. I was dominating. But then the second set my level of tennis went down a little bit and I let her come back into the match.
"At the end of the second set I focused a little bit and changed the match in my favour."
The 23-year-old Serbian, who was playing her sixth final of the season, came out of the blocks sharp, gaining an immediate break for a comfortable 2-0 lead. Jankovic then broke again to take the opening set in 33 minutes.
In the second set she produced two more breaks but Zvonareva, ranked ninth in the world, picked up steam and broke back to level on both occasions.
Deciding break
But in the ninth game Jankovic managed to make the deciding break, going on to wrap up the match and take the title.
Jankovic, who received a silver trophy and a 196,900-dollar prize check, had a difficult start to her season with numerous injuries early on but post US Open she has been the woman to beat.
"I'm quite close to finishing the year as the No. 1 player in the world, so it's really a huge achievement for me," she said.
"I feel great as the world's number one and really enjoy it."
