Agnes Szavay saved a match point on her way to securing the China Open with a surprise victory over Jelena Jankovic in Beijing.

The second seed from Serbia looked set for a routine win when she moved within a point of the title at 5-1 in the second set.

But she then suffered a bout of the collywobbles, allowing the 18-year-old Hungarian back into the contest.

Szavay, seeded six, took full advantage to complete a 6-7 (7/9) 7-5 6-2 victory.

After picking up her first career title at Palermo in late July, Szavay reached the final at New Haven before making it to the quarter-finals at the US Open in her first time in the main draw.

By collecting this Tier II title, Szavay is expected to climb up into the top 20 in the world rankings for the first time.

After coming up short in the tie-breaker, Szavay appeared destined for her second runner-up showing in three tournaments as Jankovic raced out to a commanding lead in the second.

However, Szavay saved the match point, reeled off six straight games to even the match and a further three to pull ahead 3-0 in the third.

Jankovic, who dispatched the resurgent Lindsay Davenport in the semis on Saturday, was trying to secure her fifth title of the season, but she has now won four and lost four of her eight title matches this year.

The third-ranked player in the world, Jankovic has lost her last three finals since picking up her fifth career title at Birmingham in June.