Self confessed slow starter Mary Pierce picked up sufficient pace to overhaul second seed and world number six Monica Seles 7-6, 6-3 in the final of the Kremlin Cup WTA event in Moscow yesterday.
The Canadian-born French fifth seed was trailing 3-1 in the first set but bounced back to level at 3-3, before going on to secure the tie break 7-2.
Seles missed a golden opportunity to break Pierce's serve early in the second and then lost her rhythm, making a catalogue of unforced errors.
In contrast Pierce put in a precision performance to clinch the winner's purse of $165,000. Pierce, who had seen off a below par Venus Williams en route to the final, said she was very satisfied with the result and her win over such an experienced fighter like Seles.
"I couldn't keep my concentration all match through. It was my day-off," Seles said before promising the Moscow public that she would return next year for a new attempt.
