Jelena Dokic broke a nine-year WTA Tour title drought as she defeated Lucie Safarova in the final of the Malaysian Open on Monday morning.
The Australian saved two match points on her way to a 2-6 7-6 (11-9) 6-4 win in two hours 40 minutes in Kuala Lumpur to clinch her sixth title - and first since winning Birmingham in 2002.
"Lucie beat so many good players to reach the final this week. I don't know how I came back against her today," Dokic said.
"This is my second time in Malaysia - I was here 10 years ago for the first time so it has been a while. But I've been here nearly two weeks this time and it has been fantastic."
The 27-year-old Dokic was playing in her first final since making the Zurich decider in 2003.
Safarova, the fifth seed, started the better, making the most of her only two break-point chances in the opening set.
But Dokic, who upset top seed Francesca Schiavone in the first round, showed true grit to fight back, fending off match points in the second-set tie-breaker to deny her Czech opponent what would have been her fifth title.
Dokic, not known for her service game, outgunned the big-serving Safarova from the baseline, striking 13 aces to the Czech's six.
Dokic, who reached the quarter-finals at the 2009 Australian Open, is expected to jump into the top 60 when the next rankings are released.
Safarova, who fell to 4-5 in career finals, had high praise for her opponent.
"First of all, congratulations to Jelena. She played very well today and deserved to win," the 24-year-old said.
"It was my first time in Malaysia and I enjoyed it. It was a very nice experience. I hope to come back next year."