King wins first title

In a match lasting almost 2-1/2 hours, the 17-year-old recovered from a set down to deny the Thai her first title in over three years.

Tamarine looked on course to become the first Thai in over a decade to win a tournament on home soil when she went 4-2 up in the final set.

But King, who turned professional only three months ago, pulled off some of the best shots of her tournament to win a string of marathon rallies.

The Californian refused to succumb to Tamarine's stinging forehand drives and stunned the Bangkok crowd when she pulled back four games to secure her maiden title.

King, ranked 80th in the world before the tournament, said her victory came as a shock and added that she came out on top because she refused to go down without a fight.

"I knew I wouldn't have any regrets if I fought hard. I wasn't thinking about winning, I just wanted to outfight her," she told a news conference.

"That's my first title -- I don't think I can express how I feel right now."

"I started slowly but after the first set I tried to be more aggressive. She made errors and I really wasn't expecting to win," added King, who jumped 642 places in the rankings during her first year on the WTA tour.

Tamarine was disappointed not to win in her home city but commended her opponent for a gutsy performance.

"I was almost there," the Thai said. "She was playing unbelievably at the end but she had a lot of luck too. It was so great to play at home but I'm so sorry I couldn't win this."