Safina beats compatriot Kuznetsova to win Italian Open

Subscribe
MOSCOW, May 9 (RIA Novosti) - World No. 1 Dinara Safina took revenge on fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova for defeat in last week's final in Stuttgart with a straight-sets win in Rome on Saturday.

Safina, who took top spot in the Women's Tennis Association rankings last month, took the match 6-3, 6-2 to win her first title of the season.

After struggling in previous rounds - going a set down to Venus Williams in the semifinals and Spain's Maria Jose Martinez-Sanchez in the quarters - Safina found her form to overpower the seventh seed in one hour and 30 minutes.

Kuznetsova had won nine-straight matches on clay, including the victory over Safina in Germany last week and Friday's straight-sets defeat of rising Belarusian star Victoria Azarenka in the semifinals, but could not keep her great run going.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала