![Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova holds up her trophy after her victory of the WTA tennis tournament against Russia's Dinara Safina in Stuttgart, May 3, 2009. Kuznetsova won the match 6-4 6-3.[Xinhua/Reuters]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20090504/000802aa2f490b6892dd55.jpg "Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova holds up her trophy after her victory of the WTA tennis tournament against Russia's Dinara Safina in Stuttgart, May 3, 2009. Kuznetsova won the match 6-4 6-3.[Xinhua/Reuters]") |
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Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova holds up her trophy after her victory of the WTA tennis tournament against Russia's Dinara Safina in Stuttgart, May 3, 2009. Kuznetsova won the match 6-4 6-3.[Xinhua/Reuters] |
World number nine Russian tennis player Svetlana Kuznetsova swept compatriot and world number one Dinara Safina in straight sets to claim the title in Sturttgart on Sunday.
This is Kuznetsova's first tournament win for two years with victory in the Stuttgart final. In 2004, Kuznetsova, 24, took the title of U.S. Open.
On Sunday, Kuznetsova took 80 minutes to defeat fellow-Russian Safina, who was playing in her first tournament since being installed at the top of the world rankings in April, 6-4 6-3.
Kuznetsova, who beat another Russian -- Olympic champion and second seed Elena Dementieva in the semifinals -- needed only 43 minutes to take the opening set and had a match point at 5-2 in the second set.
Although, Safina saved that, Kuznetsova took the title on her second match point to end a dismal run of losing her last six WTA Tour finals.
"This win means a lot to me," Kuznetsova said. "It's a just reward for all the suffering. It was a difficult last year for me."
"She played very well and I didn't feel very well today," Safina said. "But I am still the No. 1."
(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2009)
