Acapulco, Mexico (SportsNetwork.com) - Australian Open runner-up Dominika Cibulkova returned to the winner's circle on Saturday by dispatching American Christina McHale to win the Mexican Open title.
The top-seeded Cibulkova had her share of trouble with McHale, who made her first-career WTA title appearance, defeating the 21-year-old 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4 at the Fairmont Acapulco Princess.
The Slovak led 5-2 in the final set before McHale won two games to put the pressure on the veteran. McHale wouldn't go down without a fight, however, knotting the final game at 40-40 a few times before Cibulkova finally got the job done to complete the match in just under three hours.
Cibulkova improved to 4-6 in career finals, with her last title coming in Stanford last year. She reached her first-ever Grand Slam final last month in Melbourne.
Cibulkova will earn $43,000 for the win, while McHale will take home $21,400 for her appearance in the final.
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