The Australian had lost all five of her previous finals, in Los Angeles this year, Seoul in 2008, Prague in 2006 and Gold Coast and Sydney in 2005. But with her 7-5 6-1 victory she became the first Australian to win a Sony Ericsson WTA Tour title since Alicia Molik beat Stosur in the 2005 Sydney final.

"I’m very, very pleased to win my first title after losing five previous finals," said Stosur. "It has been a personal goal for a while, so I am glad to have achieved that and it’s the perfect way to finish my year in singles. My next goal is to reach the Top 10 for which I would need to play like today every day."

Of course, despite what she said it may not be the end of her year in singles. Although she has qualified to play doubles at the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha with partner Rennae Stubbs, Stosur has the option of also playing the following week at the Tournament of Champions in Bali. Well, Bali is on her route home to Australia from Doha, so..... Keep watching here for an update on if she has the energy to play one more tournament at the end of a long season.

Yanina Wickmayer, who has already confirmed that she will compete on the Paradise Isle next month, was another to claim a title as she defeated Petra Kvitova 6-3 6-4 to win the Generali Ladies in Linz. That followed her victory at Estoril in May, and if she can go on to win in Luxembourg in the last of the 30 International Series events this season then she will be eligible for the fantastic $1,000,000 bonus that is available to any player than can win three International Series events and the Tournament of Champions.

"I’m not really going to think about that one yet," she laughed. "That means I cannot lose another match this year so I’m not going to put that pressure on my shoulders. Who wouldn’t like to win a million dollars, and I think it’s a great bonus that they do, but it’s really tough.

"I’m really excited about coming to Bali. It’s going to be my first time, and everyone I talk to who has been there already say it’s really nice. It’s going to be a really nice tournament. It’s great for all the players that have had a good year and won International Series events. It’s going to be a really nice ending of the year. It’s going to be a relaxed week also and an amazing atmosphere. It’s more than a normal tournament and I’m really excited to go and end my season there."

As well as Wickmayer and Anabel Medina Garrigues who were recently confirmed as entries, the $600,000 event will also feature former Wimbledon and Bali finalist Marion Bartoli. The Frenchwoman famously defeated Justine Henin to reach the final at the All England Club in 2007, and she was also a finalist in Bali in 2006. This year she qualified for the Tournament of Champions by winning the International series tournament in Monterrey, before adding Stanford later in the year.

With just Luxembourg to be played, the battle for the remaining places at the Tournament of Champions reaches a climax this week. The top 10 Sony Ericsson WTA Tour players who have won at least one International Series tournament during the year and who are not participating in singles at the year-end Sony Ericsson Championships will qualify for the event, along with two wild cards. The 12-woman event will feature four groups of three players in a round robin format, then a single-elimination semi-finals and final.

The tournament will be held at the Bali International Convention Centre, The Westin Resort, Nusa Dua from 4th to 8th November.