Top-seeded Andy Murray beat unseeded Andrey Golubev of Kazakhstan 6-1, 6-1 yesterday to win the St Petersburg Open title in Russia, for the second straight year.

Murray, who also won at the Madrid Masters last Sunday, became the first British player to win back-to-back tour-level titles since Mark Cox won in London and Washington in March 1975.

Murray has not dropped a set on the way to his fifth title this season and his eighth career win.

It was the twelfth consecutive win for the fourth-ranked Murray, including two victories in Britain's Davis Cup World Group playoffs against Austria in September. His win-loss record this season is 53-14, making him the fourth player this year to win more than 50 matches.

Murray also won titles in Doha, Qatar Marseille, France and Cincinnati, the United States. His only loss in the finals this season was to Roger Federer at the US Open.

In Linz, Austria, Ana Ivanovic claimed her first title since she lifted the French Open trophy in June, beating second seed Vera Zvonareva of Russia 6-2, 6-1 yesterday to win the Generali Ladies.

It was the top-seeded Serbian's third title this year and came after a dramatic slump that followed her Paris victory and rise to No. 1 in the world rankings.

The 20-year-old struggled to deal with the magnitude of her success and then suffered a painful thumb injury that put her out of the Beijing Olympics. At one stage she won just five out of 11 matches, before regaining her form by reaching the semifinals of the Zurich Open last week.

Zvonareva was also seeking her third title of the season, after winning in Prague and Guangzhou, at the end of a week in which she qualified for the season-ending WTA Championships to be held in Doha from November 4 to 9.

Meanwhile, Ivanovic's compatriot Jelena Jankovic will end the season at No. 1, outlasting four other players who held the WTA Tour's top ranking during the year.

Jankovic's 4,555 points give her a commanding lead over Dinara Safina (3,782) and Serena Williams (3,716). She will retain the top spot regardless of the outcome of the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha, the WTA announced on Saturday.

"It has been a truly amazing year for me," Jankovic said. "I worked really hard this year, and to finish No. 1 is where I want to be and where I hope to stay."

The 23-year-old, who hasn't won a major, lost to Williams in the US Open final in September. She won four titles and is 63-17 so far this year.

The other players to hold the top ranking were the retired Justine Henin (20 weeks), Ivanovic (12), Sharapova (three) and Williams (four).

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily October 27, 2008)