ROME -- Venus Williams is moving up fast. Martina Hingis, however, is still on top.

In a match showcasing the hottest rivalry in women's tennis, Hingis downed Williams 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 Sunday to capture the Italian Open and get a big lift for this month's French Open.

The final

Italian Open champion Martina Hingis stepped up her game to run away from Venus Williams in the third set Sunday. (AP)

between the two 17-year-olds turned after Williams broke serve at love to make it 3-3 in the final set. That seemed to jolt the top-ranked Swiss star, who ran off three games in a row to end the match.

"AT THE END, I JUST STARTED thinking more and tried to be more aggressive," Hingis said. "I was surprised at the way she played. She was fighting. She didn't give up until the end."

Said Williams: "In the end she played more aggressive. She decided to go for it and take more chances."

Hingis, who earned $150,000, won her fourth title of the season. She is 30-3 this year, with two of the losses to Williams.

Hingis now has good reason to be encouraged about Paris. The French Open, like the Italian Open, is played on clay and is the only Grand Slam tournament she has not won.

By reaching the final, Williams moves up two places to No. 7 in the WTA rankings after starting the year at No. 22. She will be considered a contender in Paris even though the surface is not be her favorite.

HINGIS SAID WILLIAMS PLAYS like "she's No. 2" and the two are starting to give women's tennis the promise of a rivalry reminiscent of Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova and Monica Seles-Steffi Graf.

"I've played (Anna) Kournikova and (Mirjana) Lucic. I think she's (Williams) the toughest of all," said Hingis on whether Williams was shaping up as her chief rival. "She's all arms and legs. She makes one step and she's there. Her consistency has gotten better the last three tournaments we played."

Williams won the previous time they played, at the Lipton tournament in Florida in March. But that tournament was played a hard surface better suited to Williams' power game.

On Sunday, the first set was marked by service breaks and erratic play, Hingis regained her poise quickly to take control. She ran off the last three games and wrapped up the set in 37 minutes.

Hingis mixed the pace and moved the American around, offsetting Williams' quickness.

Williams, however, settled down in the second set and began scoring with her backhand. The two played evenly until Williams broke in the sixth game. She tied the match at a set apiece on her second set point when Hingis hit a forehand into the net.

MIDWAY THROUGH THE THIRD SET, after an exchange of service breaks, Hingis was back in control and on her way to the title.

Williams offered no excuses, unwilling to complain of a knee ailment that forced her to take an injury timeout during her semifinal victory over Arantxa Sanchez Vicario.

Nor did she complain about Saturday's tennis schedule -- a two-hour doubles match teamed with sister Serena following her singles victory.

"Today I really brought the level of my game up," Williams said. "... I was having a good time on the court. I was playing well, sliding well. It's just that I couldn't win. There are a few things I need to work on, but now I'm a smarter player and will use my experience (here) to prepare for France."

HINGIS ADMIRED HER opponent's stamina.

"I knew she was tired from yesterday," Hingis said. "I thought she would fall apart," said Hingis.

The $2.4 million men's portion of the tournament opens Monday, featuring 19 of the world's top 20 players, including No. 1 Pete Sampras.