Elena Dementieva fought back from an atrocious start against fellow Russian Elena Bovina to win the Gaz de France Stars tournament in Belgium. Dementieva barely even registered in the first set before bouncing back to win 0-6 6-0 6-4.
It was the number one seed's first WTA Tour win of the season, having lost out in three previous finals.
The 22-year-old had to make do with the runners-up spot at both the French Open and the US Open.
It was entirely topsy-turvy contest throughout. Bovina took just 24 minutes to take the first set as Dementieva proved the first to crumble.
It was a complete reverse in the second set as Bovina's concentration and her game plan fell apart.
Bovina then moved 4-1 ahead in the final set and looked to be cruising to victory when Dementieva charged back into the contest to win the next five games and seal the title.
Dementieva said afterwards that she had not been thrown by her poor start.
"When you play you don't even think about the score. You're trying to win every single point. I was trying to stay focused."
Bovina blamed herself for relaxing "a little bit" after winning the first set.
"You always get to give yourself a break after you win so easy. I guess that was my mistake today."
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
