Carson (California:) Third seed Elena Dementieva wore down Jelena Jankovic 6-3 4-6 6-3 to win the Los Angeles Open on Sunday.
"I'm working every day for these moments. I hope this momentum keeps going forever," the 25-year-old Russian told reporters after clinching her maiden title on US hard courts.
The 21-year-old Jankovic, who upset seven-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams in the semi-finals, briefly turned the match around after losing the opening set.
She used her powerful backhand to great effect to help take the second set but she grew tired early in the third and took a medical timeout at 3-0 down for heat sickness.
After falling behind 5-0, Jankovic fought back gamely to 5-4, frequently rushing the net and knocking off volley winners.
But Dementieva finally shut Jankovic down when she broke the Serbian in the final game and won the two and a half hour match with a forehand crosscourt winner, celebrating her second title of the year with a leap into the air.
"She's very unpredictable," Dementieva said, who upset top seed Maria Sharapova in the semis.
"Sometimes she just goes for winners. But I was very consistent. We were both tired, but when you play for the title, you only feel fatigue after the match. For me to get another title really means a lot."
Jankovic admitted she wilted in the conditions and it was her serve that struggled the most. "I wanted to come back, so I didn't give up," she said.
"I told myself to fight every point, even when I felt tired and dizzy. I knew I could break her, but the problem was holding my serve."
Dementieva, a finalist at the 2004 French and US Opens, believes her time may be coming soon in the Grand Slams and is eager for another successful run in New York in two weeks' time.
"I feel like its just starting for me. I feel like I'm just getting to my best game," she said.
"I just need one more step. I'm young enough and I can make it in the future. It's just taken me a little longer."
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