Elena Dementieva Upsets Serena Williams to Win Kremlin Cup

Oct 14, 12:06 PM

Current Headlines: By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOSCOW - Elena Dementieva rallied to beat fourth-seeded Serena Williams 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the final of the Kremlin Cup on Sunday to win her hometown tournament on the third attempt.

Williams, who had seven aces but made 59 unforced errors, blamed herself for her poor game.

"I made a lot of errors," she said. "It was me. Every ball I hit I felt was out. It was so frustrating."

It was the eighth career title for the 14th-ranked Dementieva, who had not beaten Williams in four previous matches.

Dementieva took control of the match when won four consecutive games in the second set.

Williams broke in the third set but then lost six consecutive games. Dementieva closed the match when Williams returned wide.

"She played really unbelievable," Williams said. "She should try to play like that more often."

Dementieva - runner-up in 2001 and 2004 - said she was helped by playing in Moscow.

"It's an incredible feeling when you win at home," Dementieva said. "I knew that if I did not beat Serena today, it would never happen again. I just stepped on the court and played my tennis."

Williams, ranked seventh in the world, had not dropped a set on the way to her third final this season. She was playing in Moscow for the first time in a decade. In 1997, the then 16-year-old qualified and lost in the first round when she was ranked 448th.

Defending champion Nikolay Davydenko played 2002 champion Paul-Henri Mathieu of France in the men's final later Sunday.