Safina goes to French Open final

PARIS, June 5 (UPI) -- Dinara Safina cruised past fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-3, 6-2 Thursday in a women's semifinal match at the French Open tennis tournament in Paris.

The 13th-seeded Safina, in her eighth year on the women's tennis tour, struck nearly twice as many winners (39-20) and recorded six service breaks than her compatriot to make her first appearance in a grand slam final on Saturday.

"It feels amazing," Safina said. "I didn't expect to get to the final (but) I won in two sets, which is strange for me, and I'm happy because I played well."

Kuznetsova, the 2004 U.S. Open champion and 2007 U.S. Open runner-up, beat the 5-foot-11 inch Safina in the 2006 French quarters when she claimed the women's crown at the Roland Garros tennis facility.

Safina's opponent Saturday will be No. 2 seed Ana Ivanovic, a 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 winner, against third-seeded Jelena Jankovic, in a battle between Serbians.