Associated Press

Dubai, March 6:

Top seed Lindsay Davenport fought off break point late in the third set and went on to beat 19-year-old Jelena Jankovic 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 to claim the $1 million Dubai Women’s Open for her 46th WTA Tour title. Davenport survived the rally by the 28th-ranked Serbian at 4-4 in the third set, winning the final three games to prevail in two hours, 11 minutes for her first title of the season. Davenport won her 15th title as a top seed. Jankovic has risen from No 362 in the WTA Tour rankings at the end of 2001. Jankovic was hampered by 11 double faults. Jankovic double-fautled three times in the opening game to hand Davenport the lead. Earlier, the top seeded pair of Spaniard Virginia Ruano Pascual and Argentine Paola Suarez clinched their 27th doubles title together, beating Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Alicia Molik of Australia 6-7, 6-2, 6-1.