Pavlyuchenkova beats Cibulkova in marathon Strasbourg final

Strasbourg, France: Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova claimed her 12th WTA Tour title on Saturday by beating Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova in a gruelling final in Strasbourg.

Pavlyuchenkova, the world number 31, saved two match points in the 10th game of the deciding set before winning 6-7 (5/7), 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (8/6) after over three and a half hours of play.

It was the 26-year-old's first final since winning in Hong Kong last October, but she managed to outlast former Australian Open runner-up Cibulkova.

She trailed by a set and a break before fighting back to win the second set, eventually clinching victory on her third match point of the deciding-set tie-break.

Pavlyuchenkova will now head to Paris for the French Open, where she is seeded 30th and is facing Slovenian Polona Hercog in the first round.