2009 French Open Women’s Final

Svetlana Kuznetsova defied the odds and won her first title at Roland Garros by defeating number 1 seed Dinara Safina in straight sets.

Kuznetsova played an aggressive game and kept Safina on defense most of the match. Mixing powerful, deep shots with a strong net game, Kuznetsova never allowed Safina to get rolling.  Number 1 in the world Safina was visibly shaken for most of the second set.

Safina began her rise to number 1 at the French Open a year ago when she lost in the final to Ana Ivanovic.  Since then, she had become almost unstoppable except in Grand Slam events. She has been criticised for claiming the number 1 ranking without winning a Grand Slam event.  In this tournament, she had looked like a well-honed machine, breezing through most rounds as if they were an easy practice.  It appeared the pressure was too much, as she made uncharacteristic unforced errors and 7 double faults.

Kuznetsova, on the other hand, played with a calm confidence and cool efficiency.  Even after winning, she was understated as if she did not want to hurt the feelings of her friend.

This is Kuznetsova’s second Grand Slam title, the first being the 2004 U.S. Open.

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