Monica Niculescu claimed her first WTA Tour title as she overcame Olga Puchkova 6-2 4-6 6-4 in a keenly contested Brasil Tennis Cup final.
Both players went into the game having lost their previous two finals, but it was the Romanian, who at 75 is ranked 34 places above her opponent, who made the stronger start, breaking three times to take the first set.
Russian Puchkova, who beat Venus Williams in the semi-finals, fought back to take the second, but Niculescu's accurate serve held firm in the third and she claimed the title.
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