Number two seed Elena Dementieva won her first Istanbul Cup title on Saturday after Aravane Rezai had to retire during their final.

A finalist at the French Open in 2004, Dementieva has now won both career meetings after Saturday's 7-6 (7-5) 3-0 triumph, a match curtailed by Rezai's left knee injury.

"It's a real shame that Aravane got hurt today, because she had such a great week, beating Venus (Williams) and Maria (Sharapova)," Dementieva said.

"But I'm so happy to win my first title of the year. I hope it's the start of more victories for me.

"It obviously gives me confidence for Roland Garros. I hope I can continue winning and have a good result in Paris."

An unseeded player from France, Rezai recorded a 6-2 6-4 upset of top-seeded Sharapova in the semi-finals on Friday.

The 59th-ranked player in the world, Rezai also toppled fourth seed Williams in the second round on Wednesday en route to her first appearance in a final.

"As the match went on my knee became more and more painful, and it was impossible for me to continue," Rezai said.

"I'm very sad that the crowd didn't get a complete match today."

A two-time winner on the WTA Tour last year, Dementieva improved to 7-11 all-time in title matches.

Both players recorded three breaks in the first set before Dementieva recovered to take it on a tie-break.

She broke Rezai two times to start the second set before the Frenchwoman retired.

Dementieva is seeded 13th for the French Open and meets Angelique Kerber of Germany in the first round.

Rezai will look to build on her strong showing here when she meets 18th-seeded countrywoman Marion Bartoli in the first round at Roland Garros.