Russian, Elena Dementieva showed her class to win her 12th career singles title defeating unseeded fellow-Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-1 to win the ASB Classic tennis tournament in Auckland.
The first set was a close fought affair with both players engaged in long rallies which had the large crowd enthralled. However the Olympic champion and world No4 was too strong for Vesnina who tended to be erratic when she needed to be consistent and remain calm.
Dementieva, 27, was the highest-ranked player in the tournament’s history and didn't drop a set all week on her way to becoming the first Russian to win the event.
Twenty-two year-old Vesnina, was playing in her first final and showed plenty of determination but the world No 76 struggled with her serving and couldn't take full toll of the chances which came here way.
The first-serve percentage for Vesnina was a lowly 39 percent and she converted just two of the 11 break points she carved out. She wasn't afraid of going for her shots and had a great opportunity to move to a significant lead in the opening set when she was 3-1 and 0-40 up on her opponent's serve.
But Dementieva produced some trademark hard-hit and deep groundstrokes to pull herself from the brink and back into the match.
In the very next game, Vesnina squandered a 40-0 lead to have serve broken and the momentum of the contest began to flow against her.
Vesnina, had had played a number of long three-setters in the previous two rounds, admitted she was "a bit upset" about the result and the vital games which didn’t go her way.
She had no explanation for her poor serving, joking that she was complaining about everything when out on court despite the good conditions for tennis.
"No wind, no sun, perfect weather and I couldn't put the ball in," she said.
"Maybe I was bit tired. It was long week for me, a lot of long matches. Maybe I was a bit nervous today."
However, she was happy with how far she had progressed in the event, saying: "I think I grew up in this tournament.".
The triumph was a boost for Dementieva, who will be seeking her first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open this month, having been a finalist at the French and United States opens in 2004.
"I feel I've improved a lot since my first day here," she said.
"I played some good tennis, especially in the semifinal and final. It's been a great beginning of the year."
In the doubles final two-time Grand Slam winner, Nathalie Dechy of France and Italy’s Mara Santangelo(Italy) won a nerve-wracking final in three tight sets over the Spanish pairing of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Arantxa Parra Santonja 4-6 7-6(3) 12-10.
It was the fifth career doubles title for Dechy and the seventh for Santangelo.
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