Safina clinches German Open
Dinara Safina battled back from a set down to beat Elena Dementieva in an all-Russian final at the German Open here on Sunday.
The 22-year-old Safina had never lost to her compatriot in their previous two meetings on clay and overcame losing the first set to claim a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win in front of 5,800 spectators.
Safina's sixth WTA tour title was one that most observers here feel she has deserved, having beat world number one Justine Henin and ended Serena Williams' 17-match unbeaten run on the way to the final.
With her brother Marat Safin also winning his qualifier at the Hamburg Masters Series on Sunday, it was a good day for the family.
"I am really pleased for him, as well as myself," beamed the Russian.
"Before we left to come to Germany we had a bit of a fight because he said I was doing everything wrong.
"But look, brother, I am on the right path," she said in a personal message to her sibling.
And with her mother and coach Raouza Islanova watching, Safina said she will treat her mother to whatever she wants to buy from the shops of Berlin as it was Mother's Day in Germany on Sunday.
This was only the fourth time in the event's 28 year-history as a WTA tour event none of the top six seeds have reached the final.
Dementieva had carved her path to the final with a near-flawless service game and had beaten Serbia's top two starlets - Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic - on route to the final.
With a reputation for letting her fiery temper show on court, Safina was broken three times in the first set and her tennis racquet was the victim as she unleashed her temper in frustration at 4-2 down.
She replaced the racquet and recovered her composure, but she went on to lose the first set 3-6 as Dementieva produced the kind of commanding game that had defending champion Ivanovic beaten in Saturday's semifinal.
But Safina showed the same determined streak which saw her see off Henin and Williams to break her opponent three times, taking the second 6-2 with a stunning ace as she improved her game dramatically.
And she showed no mercy in the third to claim a 6-2 win which moves her up to 14th in the WTA rankings, while Dementieva rises to seventh.
Comments