Parisian Amelie Mauresmo won her first title for almost two years by beating Elena Dementieva at the Open GDF Suez in the French capital.

The former world number one defeated Dementieva 7-6 (9/7) 2-6 6-4, and burst into tears as victory in her home city sank in.

She looked the least likely to take the deciding set after her performance dipped in the latter stages of the second.

Even after leading 5-1 in the third set she allowed Dementieva to threaten a dramatic recovery, but Mauresmo held on to secure her first tournament victory since beating the now-retired Belgian Kim Clijsters in Antwerp.

She has long since fallen out of the world's top 10 and more recently the top 20, but may soon be back among the elite on the evidence of this week.

The Frenchwoman had shocked second seed Jelena Jankovic in the semi-finals, having blitzed world number 10 Agnieszka Radwanska for the loss of just two games in the previous round.

In the final each player broke the other's serve three times before Mauresmo took the opening set on a tie-break.

Dementieva broke to go 4-2 ahead in the second set, and when the Russian backed up the break with an easy hold it seemed Mauresmo's hopes of victory were fading.

Mauresmo dropped her serve again in the next game, and Dementieva had levelled the match at one set each.

Given the one-way traffic at the end of set two, it came as a surprise when Mauresmo broke immediately at the outset of the decider, and then consolidated to lead 2-0.

Perhaps it should not have been altogether a shock, as Mauresmo had dropped the middle set of her match against Jankovic 6-0.

Just as in that one, her performance took lift-off today when it mattered most and soon Mauresmo was armed with a 4-1 lead.

Dementieva was a double break down but had chances against the Mauresmo serve in the sixth game.

She could not take them and when Mauresmo secured the game with a cross-court backhand to lead 5-1, Dementieva was incensed and clearly felt the ball had landed wide.

It was not the end of the Russian in the contest though, and when she reeled off three games in succession there were doubts seeping in around the Pierre de Coubertin indoor arena.

But a love service game ended the match, prompting the waterworks from Mauresmo.