Anna Kournikova missed out on another chance to claim her first ever WTA title today after crashing to a straight sets defeat to Israeli Anna Smashnova in the final of the SVW Polo Open in Shanghai.

The 21-year-old Russian glamour girl had lost all three of her previous finals going into the match, and she could do little against the top seeded Smashnova, who clinched a 6-2 6-3 victory.

Kournikova is still without a title since turning professional in 1995.

Smashnova was in firm control throughout, giving Kournikova few chances to get into the match, and the win saw the Israeli break a two-match losing streak against her opponent.

"I wasn't at my best today and Anna had a great match, she barely missed anything," said a disappointed Kournikova.

"I tried to mix it up but she was like a wall today - getting everything back.

"I should have been more aggressive; I should have gone to the net more."

Smashnova was delighted with the win which took her career WTA title tally to four.

"She's not an easy opponent to play, and I've lost a couple of times to her before," she said.

"Anna is still a great player. She's still very young and she's going to have a lot more chances to win tournaments.

"So far it's been a great year and it's made me very happy. I'm more committed. Everything I'm doing right now, I'm doing it for myself."

Kournikova's other final defeats came at Miami in 1998, where she lost to Venus Williams, Hilton Head in 1999 and Moscow in 2000, where she lost to Martina Hingis both times.

Her disappointment was eased slightly, though, as she claimed the women's doubles title, alongside Janet Lee in their first tournament together.

They defeated the Japanese pairing of Rika Fujiwara and Ai Sugiyama 7-5 6-3.