Pierce takes Paris glory

Mary Pierce commiserates with her rival

(6) Mary Pierce (Fra) bt (5) Conchita Martinez (Spa) 6-2, 7-5

Mary Pierce produced blistering form in front of her home crowd to beat Spain's Conchita Martinez in the Paris Open final.

It is only the French player's second Grand Slam win and was greeted ecstatically by a highly-partisan Roland Garros audience.

The first set was an awesome demonstration of blistering power play and audacious winners by Pierce, who breezed to a 1-0 advantage.

But the second set developed into a titanic struggle, with no less than five breaks of serve as Martinez dug her heals in and fought her way back into the match.

I can't explain how I feel. It's just incredible. I'll never forget this

Mary Pierce

The tension was palpable as Pierce scrapped her way to her third championship point and well-earned victory.

"I can't explain how I feel. It's just incredible. I'll never forget this," Pierce said.

"I'll never, ever forget this day. It's fabulous. I'm lost for words. This was a dream. It's truly incredible.

"It was a really difficult match for me today, especially in the second set, which was very close."

Both players hit their stride early, but the French hope looked sharper despite having suffered a serious bout of cramp in her semi-final victory over Martina Hingis.

Martinez: Ran out of answers

In a first game lasting seven minutes, Pierce viciously hounded Martinez on her serve, earning a single break point that she failed to convert.

She made no such mistake on the Spaniard's second service game, breaking her to love to take a 2-1 advantage.

By the end of the fourth game of the first set, Pierce had won 12 of the preceding 13 points - a double fault the exception - and established complete control.

Martinez clearly had no answer to her French opponent's mobility or her devastating groundstrokes and was broken again in the fifth game.

Pierce had three set points in the seventh, but Martinez showed grim determination and hung on to win only her second service game.

It made no difference as the French star raced through her next service game to claim the opening set.

Martinez fights back

Martinez started the second set in better fashion, winning her first service game, then capitalising on a series of Pierce errors to force two break points, which were converted on a double fault.

But the sixth seed hit back immediately, varying her play and coming into the net to break back in a game that had quickly assumed make-or-break proportions.

I'd like to congratulate Mary for a great tournament. You played great

Conchita Martinez

The effect on Martinez was instantaneous, with the processional character of the first set quickly reasserting itself. Her frustration became clear as she was cautioned by the umpire for bad language.

A glorious high-risk passing shot levelled the set for Pierce at 2-2, then Martinez handed her a 10th consecutive point and second straight break to put the French player firmly back in the driving seat on 3-2.

The drama was not over yet. A lucky net chord gave Martinez a 15-30 advantage on Pierce's serve, which she transformed into another break, somwhat against the run of play.

The fifth seed held her next serve, but needed the atttention of her trainer before Pierce's next service game to sort out a problem with her eye.

The next two games went with serve, to leave Martinez poised on 5-4 and a break away from levelling the match.

It was not to be, and Pierce made her pay with the fifth break of the set courtesy of one inch-perfect, wrong-footing backhand drive and a similarly magnificent cross-court winner.

She survived a fit of the jitters, when she slipped to 0-30 then deuce in the final game.

But Pierce hung on through Martinez's final onslaught to convert her third championship point and claim a highly-emotional win.