Tennis: Tauziat topples Basuki to land ancient trophy

Last year's runner-up Nathalie Tauziat yesterday went one better in the DFS Classic at Edgbaston by winning the final in three sets.

Tauziat, the second seed, took 97 minutes to beat Indonesia's Yayuk Basuki, the No 4 seed, 2-6 6-2 6-2. The 29-year-old French player's reward was the Maud Watson Trophy - the oldest in British tennis, but Tauziat had to work hard for her title.

After winning her semi-final against Kristine Kunce earlier in the day, she lost five games in a row on her way to going a set down to Basuki, who had beaten top-seeded Irina Spirlea in her semi an hour before the final.

The second set saw Tauziat reverse the process, speeding to a 5-0 lead and taking the set on a forehand error by Basuki.

Games went with serve in the deciding set until a Basuki forehand volley hit wide gave Tauziat a break for 4-2 and she never looked back.

A double-fault by the Indonesian gave her two match points in the eighth game and she needed just one to clinch victory as Basuki hit a backhand wide.

Tauziat said: "That was a tough match. She played very well in the first set but I fought back. It's nice to win a title again at my age."

Monica Seles will begin her preparations for Wimbledon by defending her title in the grass court championship at Eastbourne this week.

Seles is seeded to meet Jana Novotna in the final. The French Open champion, Iva Majoli, is seeded third, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario fourth and Mary Joe Fernandez fifth.