TENNIS Live

WTA Berlin - Final - Women

Nationality Player Set 1 Set 2 Set 3 Set 4 Set 5
Russian FederationD Safina366--
Russian FederationE Dementieva622--

Elena Dementieva

Nationality RUS
Date of Birth 15/10/1981
Height 1.79 m
Weight 64 kg
WTA Ranking 8
Player Info Right-handed; Two-handed backhand

Dinara Safina

Nationality RUS
Date of Birth 27/04/1986
Height 1.82 m
Weight 70 kg
WTA Ranking 13
 

Live Comments

  1. 2-6 - Dinara Safina only needs one Championship Point, wrapping up her sixth career WTA title and first Tier I crown with a hold to 30 on a service winner for the brilliant 3-6 6-2 6-2 come-from-behind victory over Russian compatriot Elena Dementieva!

  2. 2-5 - Nothing to lose for Elena Dementieva now, who holds to DEUCE. Dinara Safina, will however, serve for the title!

  3. 1-5 - A collected Safina confirms the hold to 30 with a bruising forehand winner down the line, and moves within one game of her first Tier I title.

  4. 1-4 - Safina breaks to LOVE! And Dinara now has an absolutely commanding lead on this match, appearing headed for her first-ever Tier I title.

  5. 1-3 - Three double faults by Safina in that last game, but she still manages to hold serve and stretch her lead!

  6. 40-40 - Safina sets up a nice overhead smash with a sweet little slice down the line. That's 25 winners for the 22-year-old, but she can't yet confirm the hold hitting an unforced error on her next point to allow her rival back to DEUCE.

  7. 1-2 - Safina breaks to LOVE after a string of errors from the elder Russian!

  8. 1-1 - Safina holds to 30 with a great service winner out wide.

  9. 1-0 - Some fabulous defence from Safina is not good enough, as Dementieva blasts the perfect forehand across court and right inside the line for the winner before wrapping up the hold to DEUCE with a service winner.

  10. 2-6 - Safina ultimately wraps up a dominating second set 6-2 with her second ace of the match.

  11. 40-40 - Dementieva begins to hammer the ball to work her way to DEUCE on Safina's serve.

  12. 2-5 - And Safina takes a double BREAK lead as Dementieva sends the backhand error up the line and well wide!

  13. 2-4 - Safina confirms the BREAK with a hold to 30 as Dementieva has an easy time reaching a drop shot, but hammers it into the top of the net and watches it float well wide.

  14. 2-3 - And just as she did against Justine Henin and Serena Williams, Safina takes a second-set lead with a break of serve. She looks very strong now, but holding serve here will be crucial.

  15. 2-2 - Safina holds well to 15 now, and we look in store for a very close second set.

  16. 2-1 - The errors continue to mount at the start of this second set, but Dementieva holds to DEUCE to steady things a bit.

  17. 1-1 - Despite saving one BREAK POINT, Dinara Safina hands Dementieva a second chance and then gifts it away with a third double fault!

  18. 0-1 - Safina starts this second set brilliantly, rushing ahead 40-0 on Dementieva's serve thanks to a gorgeous drop shot. And Safina collects on her third chance as what should have been an easy forehand approach from Dementieva is sent just wide! Keep in mind that both against Williams and Henin, Safina came back from a set down to achieve the upset. Marat's lil' sis leads the second set by a break.

  19. 6-3 - Safina hits her first double fault of the match to hand Dementieva a SET POINT, and Dinara is long on the unforced forehand error to drop the first set 6-3.

  20. 5-3 - And Dementieva wraps up the hold with a fourth straight point to move one game away from taking this first set.

  21. 40-40 - Safina earns herself a pair of BREAK BACK chances, but this time she saves both, including the second with a great service winner.

  22. 4-3 - Safina comes back with her own LOVE-Service game to stay in touch.

  23. 4-2 - Dementieva confirms the break this time, stretching her lead to 4-2 with a comfortable hold of serve.

  24. 3-2 - And the back and forth has begun. Safina sends the unforced forehand error well wide and tosses her racket way up in the air in frustration (the 22-year-old does very well to catch it) after conceding yet another break.

  25. 2-2 - There it is. The "Dementieva Double" a they call it. And it hands Safina a BREAK POINT..... Which she collects after Dementieva sends the forehand error well long.

  26. 2-1 - Dementieva books a couple of BREAK POINTS, and Safina sends the unforced backhand error wide in an effort to wrong-foot her rival that just goes wrong. The 26-year-old Russian takes the lead.

  27. 1-1 - Beautiful ace out wide for Elena Dementieva, who then wraps up the hold to DEUCE with a wise move to the net and a clever drop shot.

  28. 40-40 - Safina battles back from 40-15 down to DEUCE after Dementieva can't find the angle on the cross-court drop attempt.

  29. 0-1 - Safina holds her opener to 30 thanks to some fine defence, as she patiently waits for her compatriot to commit the error after a lengthy baseline rally.

  30. 0-0 - Safina, looking for her first Tier I title, will serve first.

  31. ----- - Both of these women have beaten some of the best players on Tour to get here today, with Safina knocking off Justine Henin and Serena Williams in consecutive matches, and Dementieva beating Ana Ivanovic in the semi-finals.

  32. ----- - Welcome to our LIVE text comments and scoring of the WTA Tier I final in Berlin between the two form Russians of the moment, Dinara Safina (13) and Elena Dementieva (7).

WTA Race 2008

Points
1 Jelena Jankovic 4355 stay
2 Serena Williams 3681 stay
3 Dinara Safina 3628 stay
4 Elena Dementieva 3040 stay
5 Ana Ivanovic 2952 stay
6 Maria Sharapova 2515 stay
7 Svetlana Kuznetsova 2513 stay
8 Venus Williams 2246 stay
9 Vera Zvonareva 2135 stay
10 Agnieszka Radwanska 2096 stay

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