Dinara Safina overpowered her fellow Russian, Vera Zvonareva, 6-3 7-6 on Thursday to join Serena Williams in the final of the Australian Open.
The combination of Safina’s heavier shot-making and aggression proved too much for Zvonareva as the third seed closed out victory in one hour and 46 minutes under a closed roof at the Rod Laver Arena.
Safina won four games in a row to take the opening set after trailing 2-3, then broke Zvonareva’s brittle serve to force the tie-break after the seventh seed blew her chance to force a deciding third set.
Safina (22) reached the French Open final last year but is now on the verge of a first Grand Slam title after rebounding from a shaky start to the tournament to produce her best performance when it mattered most.
The winner of Saturday’s final will receive an added bonus of taking over the world number one ranking from Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic, who was knocked out in the fourth round at Melbourne Park this year.
”Since I was growing up it has been my dream one day to be number one,” Safina said in a courtside interview.
”To play against Serena and to fight for the number one is just going to be unbelievable.
”I just hope it will be a good match that we can all enjoy and whoever wins, we’ll shake hands at the end of the match and say ‘well you deserve to be number one’.”
Safina is also trying to complete a unique family double in Australia by emulating her older brother, Marat Safin, who won the men’s singles title in 2005.
”I watched my brother on TV winning this tournament and even when I watch it now I have tears in my eyes,” Safina said.
”It is great that I can follow his footsteps because he was my idol and he is still my idol. That I’m doing as well as him is just amazing.
”It was his birthday two days ago, maybe I have earned some money to buy him a gift.”
Earlier, Serena Williams continued her love affair with Melbourne by easing to an emphatic 6-3 6-4 victory over an in-form Elena Dementieva to advance to a fourth Australian Open final.
Williams’s victory under the closed roof of Rod Laver Arena ended the fourth-seeded Russian’s 15-game unbeaten streak in 2009 after Dementieva had earlier won titles at Auckland and Sydney.
The second-seeded American, who had to battle back from a 0-3 deficit in the second set after comfortably taking the first, will be hoping to continue her flawless record in Australian Open finals following her three wins from as many appearances.
When asked how she would prepare for Saturday’s final, she quipped: ”Hopefully I will be playing a doubles final on Friday.”
”Obviously I want to win doubles, I have the best partner,” she added, referring to sister Venus before praising the crowd.
”You guys are so awesome, come back on Saturday and cheer for me please.” — Reuters