Amelie Mauresmo of France won her third consecutive Advanta Championship by beating Russian Elena Dementieva 7-5 2-6 7-5 in the final in Philadelphia.
The third-seeded Mauresmo, the world's fourth-ranked player, won for the third time this season on the eve of the WTA Tour Championships, which start tomorrow in Los Angeles.
Top-ranked players Lindsay Davenport and Maria Sharapova withdrew from the tournament, paving the way for Mauresmo to win her 18th career WTA title.
It was not easy for her, however, as she blew a 4-1 third set lead and was two points away from losing the match before Dementieva double-faulted twice in the 10th game, allowing Mauresmo to tie the final set at 5-5.
Mauresmo battled back and won the last two points to deny the Russian her first tournament win of the year.
