DEFENDING champion Iva Majoli battled back from match point down to beat top seed Jana Novotna in the final of the Faber Grand Prix in Hanover, Germany.
The Croatian's decisive break came when Novotna squandered the match point with an unforced error at 5-4 in the second set.
Majoli, seeded third, wore down her Czech opponent with her powerful baseline game and bagged her fifth WTA tour victory 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 6-4. Her last win was in the same tournament a year ago, when it was played in Essen, Germany.
Novotna, ranked number three in the world, dominated the first set, but Majoli gained confidence and went ahead 3-1 in the second before Novotna pulled ahead.
In the second set, after Novotna's wasted match point, Majoli turned the match around and forced a tiebreak that she won easily, 7-2.
In the final set, Novotna pulled ahead 3-1 but Majoli fought back and set up three match points at 5-4 partly thanks to a double fault by Novotna.
Novotna, who had trouble developing her serve and volley against Majoli, survived two points before Majoli clinched "victory with a soft passing shot.
Both players suffered leg cramps under the hot indoor lights as the match wore on.
