STEFFI GRAF withdrew with a back injury at the end of the first set to hand Jana Novotna victory in the final of the £300,000 Advanta Championships in Philadelphia yesterday.

Moments after the third seeded Novotna won the set 6-4, Graf notified the chair umpire, Donna Butler that she would be unable to continue. The German's default gave Novotna her third consecutive tournament triumph.

The victory was only Novotna's fourth in 29 matches against Graf and her first since defeating her at the 1992 French Open. Graf had won the last 14 meetings between the pair.

"You have to play her so many times before you can beat her, before you finally have a chance," said Novotna, whose other recent tournament wins came in Zurich and Chicago.

"She is the number one player in the world and she has the most difficult game. Basically, nobody else plays like her," added the Czech.