Monterrey - Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova survived a dramatic fightback from Angelique Kerber to win the Monterrey Open on Sunday, keeping her perfect record at the International-level tournament intact - she is now 15-0 there, winning the event all three times she has played it.
Pavlyuchenkova had won the pair's only previous meeting but it was a tight one - a pair of tie-breaks - and Kerber was also perfect in Monterrey, making it to the final in her very first appearance.
And Kerber looked headed to victory early on, breaking in the opening game before the two went into a holding pattern for the next 13 games, neither of them blinking on serve until Kerber led, 6-4, 2-2.
But that's when all the wins and all the happy memories lifted Pavlyuchenkova, and she ran away with nine games in a row, winning the second set and building a hefty 5-0 lead in the third - there was clearly some tension in the air as she lost the next four games and watched on as Kerber cut that lead down to 5-4, but a huge Pavlyuchenkova forehand on match point No 5 ended it all, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Pavlyuchenkova has won the Monterrey Open all three times she played it - 2010, 2011 and now 2013. She has a total of four WTA titles in her career, the other one coming at Istanbul in 2010.
Pavlyuchenkova had won the pair's only previous meeting but it was a tight one - a pair of tie-breaks - and Kerber was also perfect in Monterrey, making it to the final in her very first appearance.
And Kerber looked headed to victory early on, breaking in the opening game before the two went into a holding pattern for the next 13 games, neither of them blinking on serve until Kerber led, 6-4, 2-2.
But that's when all the wins and all the happy memories lifted Pavlyuchenkova, and she ran away with nine games in a row, winning the second set and building a hefty 5-0 lead in the third - there was clearly some tension in the air as she lost the next four games and watched on as Kerber cut that lead down to 5-4, but a huge Pavlyuchenkova forehand on match point No 5 ended it all, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Pavlyuchenkova has won the Monterrey Open all three times she played it - 2010, 2011 and now 2013. She has a total of four WTA titles in her career, the other one coming at Istanbul in 2010.