With her jet-black hair, slender proportions and love of home comforts, the 22-year-old Muscovite is in many ways a stand-out.

A tennis player from the age of six at the same Moscow sports club as the opponent she vanquished 6-1, 6-2 in Saturday's final, Elena Dementieva, Myskina has never lacked for motivation.

"The reason for the success of Russian players in recent years is in the political and economic context," she said.

"I really do not like the United States, but in Russia, you have to admit, life is very difficult. I have always been determined to make my own living."

Myskina may be a new name for many, but her rise through the ranks since she turned professional in 1996, has not happened overnight.

She made little impact in her early years wandering aimlessly around the lower-ranked WTA Tour events and it was only when she took on German Jens Gerlach as her new coach and boyfriend in 2002 that things started to happen.

She finished 2002 ranked just outside the top 10 and then in 2003 she reached the quarterfinals of the Australian and US Opens and got to the fourth round at Wimbledon.

Myskina hit the headlines at the start of this year when her at times fiery temperament got the better of her as she threw a spectacular tantrum during her three set, fourth round win over Chanda Rubin.

The flashpoint occurred during the first set, when the Russian visibly lost her cool and became increasingly animated, gesturing and yelling towards the stands at Gerlach and accusing him of not supporting her enough.

She also caught the eye with a provocative photo shot of her posing naked on a horse in the popular US magazine GQ along with Dementieva, and Slovakian Daniela Hantuchova under the headline "Eastern Bloc Hotties."

"It was definitely a different experience," Myskina said at the time.

"I enjoy GQ and it's nice to be in a shoot with the other girls."

"But tennis is tennis and the other stuff is not tennis."

Myskina, who says that her childhood idol was Monica Seles, successfully defended a pro title for the first time in Doha in February but she was not among the favourites coming into Roland Garros as clay is not her preferred surface.

But with the other top players struggling with injuries and loss of form, she played herself into the picture after saving a match point against compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova in the fourth round.

There then followed stunning straight sets wins over Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati before the demolition of childhood friend Dementieva in the final made her the first Russian woman to win a Grand Slam event.

The key she said has been hard work and believing in herself and not yelling anymore.

"I know it doesn't help if you yell at somebody," she said.

"I mean first of all I was yelling at myself more than anybody. It's hard work, but finally I have become more professional on the court."