World no.1 and no.1 seed Dinara Safina could be a heavy favourite to win at Roland Garros final but Svetlana Kuznetsova has the experience when it comes to winning a Grand Slam.Kuznetsova had waited nearly five years to win her second major tennis championship.
She captured the 2004 U.S. Open championship at the age of 19 after beating Elena Dementieva.
Last night, also against her fellow compatriot, Kuznetsova defeated Safina 6-4, 6-2 in just 74 minutes without breaking a sweat!
“I have been waiting for this moment for a long time, losing to the winners,” Kuznetsova, a 23-year-old from St. Petersburg, said in her bubbly English on Philippe Chatrier court when accepting the trophy.“I had been playing many matches, and this time it happened. Really, I didn’t expect it to happen this year."
Steffi Graf, a six-time French Open champion, was on hand to present Kuznetstova the trophy on court.
After thanking the crowd and her family, Kuznetsova praised her fellow countrywoman, Safina, and said that one day she would get that first major championship.“I guess today I played a little better,” she said.(Via nytimes.com; Images via Yahoo! Sports)
“I am sorry for that.”
