BEIJING - Surviving a taxing 154-minute battle, Polish world No 12 Agnieszka Radwanska upset German ninth seed Andrea Petkovic, 7-5, 0-6, 6-4, in the final to claim the China Open title on Sunday night.

It was Radwanska's fifth straight victory over Petkovic and her first WTA premier tournament title since turning professional in 2005.

The Polish power hitter converted four of nine break points in the first set to stun Petkovic in 84 minutes.

After a medical call for her knee, Petkovic, who made the quarterfinals at every Grand Slam event this year except Wimbledon, rekindled her form in the second set.

Radwanska maintained her intensity and solid baseline shots in the final set to seal the victory, delivering her second WTA Tour championship this month after she claimed the Pan Pacific title in Tokyo.

"It feels great to return to the final at the China Open," said Radwanska, who was runner-up at the event in 2009. "Today's match was pretty tough; we both played with 200 percent effort. ... Hopefully, I can perform well here next year."

Petkovic, who represents a budding generation of German tennis along with Wimbledon semifinalist Sabine Lisicki, invited Radwanska to perform a double dance during the award ceremony to entertain the cheering crowd.

"It's a great honor for me to play in the final. I had a pleasant experience here. Hopefully, I can repeat the final appearance next year," said Potkovic.

China Daily

(China Daily 10/10/2011 page24)