Amelie Mauresmo extended a brilliant run by beating Jennifer Capriati 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 today to win the German Open.
The Frenchwoman, seeded fourth in the prestigious tournament, now has a 27-2 record for the year which makes her the most prolific of all top players in the women's game in 2001.
Third seed Capriati found the answer to Mauresmo's raw power only in the second set but confirmed that her amazing comeback, which saw her win the Australian Open last January, was far from over.
Playing aggressively from the baseline, Mauresmo broke her opponent straight away and again in the fifth game before winning her service game to open a 5-1 lead.
Capriati fought back by winning the next three games but Mauresmo then served for the set, wrapping it up after 47 minutes with her opponent netting a backhand on set point.
The 25-year-old American found her way back into the match by breaking Mauresmo in the fourth game of the second set and again in the seventh game, taking the set courtesy of an unforced error from Mauresmo on set point.
But Mauresmo was back in command in the decisive set, cashing in on a wide backhand from Capriati to move 2-1 up before managing another break in the fifth game.
Capriati went down fighting, surviving two match points as Mauresmo, leading 5-2, was serving for the match before breaking her.
But she handed Mauresmo another match point in the next game and fired a forehand long to bow out after an exciting 112-minute battle with plenty of spectacular rallies.
On the form she has shown all week in the German capital, Mauresmo now has to be regarded as one of the favourites to win this year's French Open starting on May 28.
Reuters