France's third seed Mary Pierce beat unseeded Italian Francesca Schiavone 6-4, 6-3 in the Kremlin Cup final on Sunday to win her second title in Moscow.

It was also the second title this year for the 30-year-old Frenchwoman after winning in San Diego in August.

Sunday's victory propelled Pierce to number four in the world, ahead of compatriot Amelie Mauresmo and Belgian Justine Henin-Hardenne and guaranteed her a place in the season-ending WTA Championships in Los Angeles.

Pierce raced to a 5-1 lead and held off Schiavone's spirited fightback to take the first set, then secured a decisive break in the fifth game of the second set to clinch victory after 87 minutes.

"I have a lot of great memories playing in Moscow. I won here in both singles and doubles on my debut seven years ago," said Pierce, who earned her first Moscow title with wins over Venus Williams in the semi-finals and Monica Seles in the final in 1998.

"I also played two great Fed Cup finals here, winning in 2003 and losing last year, so Moscow will always have a special place in my heart."

Schianove, playing in her first big final, could not find the form with which she crushed three seeded players on her way to the final without dropping a set.