By Nick Georgandis                                   Photo by Susan Mullane/Camerawork USA

Estonia's Kaia Kanepi, unseeded when the Brisbane International opened, finished the best week of her career Saturday by winning the tournament with a dominat 6-1, 6-2 victory over Daniela Hantuchova.

Ranked 34th to start  the tournament, Kanepi was dominant on service, never broken, knocked down four aces and broke Hantuchova's serve five times.
It was the second career title for the 26-year-old Kanepi and her first win in four tries against Hantuchova, who entered the field ranked No. 24 in the world, and was seeking the fifth title of her pro career.

"In previous years I've been a surprise player - I was able to beat higher ranked players, but then maybe lose to lower ranked players," Kanepi said. "Now I'm playing more stable, not making as many errors. I'm beating top players more consistently. Hopefully I can get that ranking myself one day."

Trailing 1-2 in the first set, the Estonian won nine straight games to put the match on ice, leading 6-2, 4-0.
All this, after limping through her first-round match a week agao against world No. 121 Alexandra Panova, 7-6, 3-6, 6-2.

With the victory, Kanepi is expected to rise to No. 26 in next week's rankings.