Nadia Petrova pulled off a stunning 6-3, 7-5 victory over world number two and top seed Amelie Mauresmo of France to win the Qatar Open on Saturday.
The Russian's victory denied Mauresmo a return to the top in Monday's WTA rankings with world number one Kim Clijsters out of action this week nursing an injury.
In a match that lasted one hour and 45 minutes, world number eight Petrova fought relentlessly to outgun the Australian Open champion and gain revenge for her loss in their latest meeting in the Antwerp semi-finals last month.
The Frenchwoman, who had a 4-1 career advantage against Petrova before Saturday's final, had predicted a tough match and her worst fears came true as the Russian came up with a superb performance.
Petrova had previously had problems closing out her matches against Mauresmo. In Antwerp, she held a 5-2 lead in the second set but squandered three set points and lost in two.
However, on Saturday she came up with a determined effort and did not allow Mauresmo to dominate her at any stage, winning her second title since Linz last year.
