Tennis queen makes it to Roland Garros final
Published: 04 June, 2009, 18:52
Dinara Safina (AFP Photo / Lionel Bonaventure)
Top-ranked Dinara Safina has repeated her run of last year and advanced to the French Open final for the second year in a row. Her compatriot, Svetlana Kuznetsova, claimed another spot in the final.
Safina beat Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3 in the semifinals, and is now one step away from the first Grand Slam title of her career.
It was a mistake-filled match on Thursday, in which Safina came out the winner despite seven double-faults and 24 unforced errors.
Meanwhile, the seventh-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova had to sweat much more to earn her spot in the ultimate round.
 Svetlana Kuznetsova (AFP Photo / Lionel Bonaventure) |
Her opponent, Samantha Stosur of Australia, was playing with great heart in her first Grand Slam semi, coming back from a set down.
But Kuznetsova's consistency from the baseline helped her grind out a tough third and final set, 6-4, 6-7, 6-3.
The Russian made her second trip to the French Open final, after being ousted in straight sets back in 2006 by Justine Henin.
So an all-Russian final is now in store for Dinara Safina and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
03.06.2009, 19:34
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05.06.2009, 19:18
Nadal pulls out of Queens’ courtsWorld Number One Rafael Nadal will have to watch a new champion take his place in the second consecutive tournament this year. |
I have been acquainted with russian tennis for quiet some time. I have related in an other forum the players that I have meet. I watched the RG semi-finals and hope for the best to win. It should be pointed out: the excellent attitude of russian athletes in all sports. My souvenirs go back to URSS-Canada and URSS-USA back in the 70s (Hockey matchs)when I lived in North-America. Sincerely. Jean-Claude Meslin