Belgium's Kim Clijsters saved a match point before beating Serbia's Jelena Jankovic 4-6, 7-6, 6-4 on Friday to win the Sydney International for the second time in four years.
Clijsters survived the match point at 4-5 in the second set as Jankovic twice failed to serve out the match. The Belgian clinched victory in the deciding third set after two-and-a-half hours.
"That's tennis, it's never over," Clijsters told a news conference. "I was down match point, so it's easy to think it's over but you should never think like that.
"You should always try to find a way to make the next point better. Even if you make a mistake, don't think about it any more, just refocus and forget about it and just start all over."
Clijsters, one of the favourites for the Australian Open beginning next week, won the Sydney title in 2003 and started her farewell year on the professional tour by winning an exhibition tournament in Hong Kong.
Jankovic, the champion at last week's Auckland Classic, had won nine matches in a row before her loss to Clijsters.
The 21-year-old let the match slip by failing to take her chances and committing errors at vital stages, including a missed backhand volley that would have given her two match points in the second set.
"I was just so excited, I wanted to make a winner but I pushed it too long. That was a key point for me," she said. "When I lose like this, when I had everything, it hurts a little bit more.
"Anyway, it shows that I can compete against the best. I showed that I can beat the best players in the world and hopefully I'll join them soon."
Jankovic had looked to be cruising to victory when she broke Clijsters's serve three times to take the opening set then grabbed an early break in the second.
She failed to close out the match at her first attempt when Clijsters saved a match point with a deep forehand winner but got a second chance when she broke the Belgian in the next game.
"When you're down like that, I think the only thing you can do is just fight really hard," Clijsters said.
A sloppy service game from Jankovic allowed the 23-year-old Clijsters to force the tie-break which she won, helped in part by three double faults from the Serbian.
"I should have won in two sets. I had everything under control in my hands but I let it slip," Jankovic said.
"I should have been in the locker room, preparing my stuff, packing my trophy and going to the hotel but I was still there playing and fighting like an animal."
Clijsters raced to a 4-0 lead in the third set and although a momentary lapse in concentration allowed Jankovic to pull back one of the breaks she held her last two service games to wrap up her 34th WTA career title.
"It's very special. I never expected to win here and to play in a match like this and to have that last match here in these kind of circumstances," she said.
"It's a day I will remember for a very long time."