Dinara Safina won the German Open women's singles final beating Elena Dementieva over three sets on Sunday.

The Russian, seeded thirteenth, edged out her seventh seeded compatriot 3-6 6-2 6-2.

Safina, who beat world number one Justine Henin and Serena Williams en route to the final, was erratic in the first set.

However the 22-year-old came back strongly in the second and broke twice in the decider.

She sealed the win when Dementieva netted a backhand on the first match point.

Dementieva had beaten world number two Ana Ivanovic in straight sets in their semi-final on Saturday.

And the 26-year-old produced the kind of commanding game in the early stages that had been too much for the defending champion.

Safina, with a reputation for letting her fiery temper show on court, was broken three times in the first set and her tennis racquet was the victim as she unleashed her temper in frustration after going 4-2 down.

But she recovered her composure in the second set to break her opponent three times, taking the second with a stunning ace as she improved her game dramatically.

And she showed no mercy in the third to claim the title, which moves her up to 14th in the WTA rankings, while Dementieva rises to seventh.