Kournikova denied first title

Kournikova faces up to another final defeat

Anna Smashnova 6-2 6-3 Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova admitted she did not play well enough to claim her first tour singles title when she was soundly beaten by Israel's Anna Smashnova in the final of the Shanghai Open.

The Russian, seeded fourth, was playing in the fourth WTA Tour final of her career, and the first since Moscow two years ago.

She's going to have a lot more chances to win tournaments

Smashnova on Kournikova

But she was on the back foot from the first game as world number 19 Smashnova immediately broke serve.

"I wasn't at my best today and Anna had a great match. She barely missed," Kournikova said.

"I tried to mix it up, but she was like a wall, getting everything back. I should have been more aggressive, I should have gone to the net more."

The 26-year-old top seed's precise hitting was in marked contrast to an edgy display from Kournikova.

Photo gallery: Kournikova misses out again

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But Smashnova, born in the Russian city of Minsk, was full of praise for her opponent.

"She's not an easy opponent to play, and I've lost a couple of times to her before," said Smashnova.

"Anna is still a great player. She's still very young and she's going to have a lot more chances to win tournaments."

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Despite two victories in the space of a week over Smashnova in July, Kournikova could not get the upper hand.

The world number 38 did not win a point until the third game and even though she was the more powerful player, made too many unforced errors.

Another break followed in the opening game of the second set and an increasingly frustrated Kournikova began to dispute calls.

Victory never looked in doubt for Smashnova, and she claimed her fourth title of the year with another error from Kournikova on match point.

There was some consolation for Kournikova in the doubles as she teamed up with Janet Lee of Taiwan to beat Japan's Ai Sugiyama and Rika Fujiwara, 7-5 6-3.