Vesnina outlasts Kuznetsova in marathon final to win Indian Wells title
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Elena Vesnina defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (6), 7-5, 6-4 to win the BNP Paribas Open in an all-Russian final.
Vesnina had never advanced beyond the third round in singles, although she has won the doubles title at the desert tournament three times. She beat No. 2 seed Angelique Kerber and No. 12 Venus Williams on her way to the final, the biggest of her career at age 30.
Kuznetsova lost in the final for the time. She was runner-up in 2007 and 2008.
Vesnina earned $1,175,505 for her third career singles title and will move up two spots to a career-high No. 13 in the world rankings on Monday.
The only other all-Russian women's final was in 2006, when Maria Sharapova beat Elena Dementieva.
Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka met in an all-Swiss men's final later.