Kuznetsova wins French Open

Svetlana Kuznetsova dashed Dinara Safina’s dreams of capturing a first grand slam title on Saturday, defeating the world number one 6-4, 6-2 to win the 2009 French Open.

Safina started the match strongly, breaking Kuznetsova’s serve in the first set. The two players traded service breaks for the remainder of the set, with Kuznetsova emerging victorious from the exchange.

The seventh seed dominated the second set completely, as an increasingly frustrated Safina struggled to make her presence felt in the rallies. Safina finished the match meekly, allowing Kuznetosca to sow up a routine win.

The victory provided Kuznetsova with her second grand slam title five years after she won the US Open as a 19 year old. Safina, meanwhile, had to deal with the disappointment of a second consecutive loss in the final of the French Open.

"It was so many years since I won a Grand Slam and I thought it would never happen again," Kuznetsova said after the match. "Today when I was coming onto the court I knew everything was going to be fine. It was the same as before when I won the US Open."