BIRMINGHAM, England — Kateryna Bondarenko claimed her first WTA Tour singles title today with a 7-6 (7), 2-6, 7-6 (4) victory over Yanina Wickmayer in the final of the DFS Classic.

Bondarenko, a 21-year-old Ukrainian who won the Australian Open doubles championship with her sister Alona, won a long battle of groundstrokes in the Wimbledon warmup.

She escaped from set point down in the first when Wickmayer pulled a forehand drive wide.

In the second set, Wickmayer broke down in tears after injuring her knee while playing a backhand from deep behind the baseline.

"I have never felt that much pain on a tennis court before," said Wickmayer, an 18-year-old Belgian who was at a tournament on her own for the first time. "But I am not a quitter."

A trainer wrapped her knee during the 15-minute break that followed.

Though the injury diminished Wickmayer's court coverage, and may have contributed to nine double-faults, it forced her to attack with more groundstrokes.

She managed to hold the one-break advantage she had, and added a second break in the final game of the second set to level the match. But she couldn't hold off Bondarenko's rally in the final set.

"I tried to move her around all the time but still she was running really well," Bondarenko said. "It's difficult but important to stay focused when you know your opponent is injured."

Bondarenko gained and then lost a break, but began moving the ball around to test Wickmayer's injury.

She also held serve at 4-5 and 5-6, when the pressure was greatest, and pressured Wickmayer into over-hitting a backhand in the deciding tiebreaker.

That was enough for Bondarenko to close out the tiebreaker 7-4 and to celebrate with her sister.

"I was shouting at Alona sometimes," Bondarenko said of her older sister. "But she is used to it. She tells me what to do and I yell at her: 'I am doing it.'"

Bondarenko, who won the Wimbledon girls singles title four years ago, beating Ana Ivanovic along the way, now hopes to do well in the senior event starting June 23 after playing in the Netherlands next week.

Wickmayer also hoped to play in the Dutch grass-court tournament depending on how her knee recovered.

"I have never had a knee injury before so I have no idea what it is," she said.