/ 4 June 2009

Safina powers into French Open final

Top seed Dinara Safina blasted her way into the French Open final for the second year in a row on Thursday by outgunning Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia 6-3, 6-3.

The Russian, who lost in straight sets in last year’s final to Ana Ivanovic, will play the winner of the other semi-final opposing Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia and Samantha Stosur of Australia.

It was a comprehensive, if nervy victory for the 23-year-old Muscovite who is on a mission here to win her first Grand Slam tournament and silence those who say she is not worthy of being the world No.1 until she does so.

”It wasn’t an easy match and I felt tight throughout,” Safina said.

”I wasn’t doing anything at the start. She was making me run all about the court so I just told myself I have to start hitting my shots and going for the angles.

”I had a great experience here last year and I just need to do a little bit better. I am just going to go for it.”

Cibulkova, at 1,61 metres a full 21 centimetres smaller than her opponent, got off to the perfect start breaking Safina’s serve in the opening game and holding her own for a 2-0 lead.

Safina bounced back immediately through winning five games in a row including two breaks of serve to reassert her authority.

It was clearly a case of Safina’s power-hitting down both flanks against Cibulkova’s movement about court and tactical guile with most games going to several deuces.

The youngest of the four semi-finalists at 20 years old, Cibulkova staved off a set point to hold her own serve and she had Safina muttering away to herself in the next game after she opened it with a double fault.

But the Russian steadied the ship and took a one-set lead in 49 minutes thanks to a barrage of shots that had Cibulkova scampering about from side to side in a effort to stay with her.

The Slovak held serve to open the second set and then had two break points in the following game, but failed to take them as two unforced errors allowed Safina to get back to deuce.

The Russian held and three games later she grabbed a vital break of serve when an under-pressure Cibulkova netted a tame backhand.

Safina though struggled once again on her following serve and had to save three break points before moving into a 4-2 lead.

The Russian held serve and then made sure of reaching her third Grand Slam final by converting her second match point on Cibulkova’s following serve.

For Cibulkova, a first appearance in a Grand Slam final at her eighth attempt made it a breakthrough tournament.

”I was nervous in the beginning and never played that well but it’s my first semi-final of a Grand Slam and I tried to do my best,” she said. — AFP

 

AFP