Kim Clijsters staged a remarkable recovery to beat top seed and defending champion Venus Williams 1-6 6-3 6-4 in the Hamburg Cup final today.
The second-seeded Belgian recovered after being overwhelmed in the first set to win the tournament at her first attempt.
Clijsters began sluggishly, earning just four points in the first three games as her American opponent's powerful forehand gave her little chance to settle into the match.
Even though Williams began to make more errors after establishing a 3-0 lead, Clijsters still found it difficult to make an impression.
The match did not become a contest until the second set, when the Australian Open semifinalist recovered from losing her serve in the first game to break Williams for 1-1 and then again to lead 4-2 after Williams had been 40-0 up.
Although Williams broke back in the next game, Clijsters earned a further break for 5-3 and held off two break points as she served out for the set.
Moving much more impressively than at the beginning of the match, Clijsters always held the upper hand in the deciding set.
She broke twice to lead 4-1, but Williams offered stiff resistance as the 18-year-old tried to close out the match.
Clijsters held a point to lead 5-1 but double-faulted and then dropped her serve.
Williams also held two break points to level at 4-4, but Clijsters held off the challenge to win her first title of the year.
While Clijsters moves on to the German Open in Berlin, Williams will briefly return home to Florida before playing in the Italian Open in Rome as final preparation for the French Open.