Kuznetsova dashes Safina's Slam dream

Wins the all-Russian final to bag maiden crown at Roland Garros

So one-sided was the affair, on an unusually cold and damp day in Paris, that it barely came as a surprise when Safina bowed out with a double fault that bounced off the tape and fell wide.

Instead of rejoicing in her moment of triumph, a sympathetic Kuznetsova consoled her teary-eyed childhood friend by giving her a hug and a kiss across the net.

It was only then that the seventh seed raised her arms and thumped her heart to celebrate the fact that after five years she had won a second grand slam title to add to her 2004 success at the US Open.

Safina, who has now finished runner-up in the season's opening two majors, will remain as world number one but that will come as scant consolation after she came so agonisingly close to ending her wait for a maiden grand slam crown.

Safina also appeared to hold the upper hand because she had won five of their last six meetings and had been the dominant force during the last fortnight, dropping only one set in her six matches.

Kuznetsova, in comparison, had to battle through three successive three-setters to make it through to the showpiece match.

The day started promisingly for Safina when she broke her fellow Russian's serve in the opening game but from then on she had to play catchup as Kuznetsova immediately snatched the break back, helped along the way with a double fault and a forehand error.
Subtle drop shots, elegant slices and cute angles from Kuznetsova had Safina running ragged around the court. While Safina had trouble second-guessing Kuznetsova's tactics, the top seed appeared to have only one game plan at her disposal.

She tried to outhit Kuznetsova with her ferocious baseline power, only to see the ball bounce back into her half of the court with added topspin.

In the 10th game of the first set, Safina went lunging from side to side as she tried to stay in on a 13-stroke rally but ended up dumping the ball into the net to surrender the first set.

With the match running away, Safina even tried to surprise Kuznetsova by slowing down her first serve. The ploy failed to catch Kuznetsova off guard and she pounced to break for 4-2 after another Safina forehand went wide.
Eight minutes later, it was all over for Safina.