Open Gaz de France

[tall_one]

said:

Congratulations!! yeah!! but what was the score line i'm too bothered to go to the site and check!!!

6/4 2/6 6/3

[SAFINNO1]

OMG i can not believe she won ( well i can believe it since she overwhelmed amelie in 3 sets)
she again playes superb this could kick start her career.
no looking back now dina we know you can do it.

BTW any ideas who she was tryin to phone after she won.

[SAFINNO1]

Safina : « The best day of my career ! » <br>13 February 2005 - Nicolas VOLLAIRE
Dinara Safina made it. The young Russian player defeated the great favorite Amélie Mauresmo to capture an unlikely victory in the tournament. After the match, Safina could hardly believe in her achievement. It’s Dinara in her own words.


Dinara, what is your feeling after this match ?
You can’t imagine how much I am happy ! It’s unbelievable! This was my first big final and I win against a Top 5 player like Amélie, in France and all that… This is too much. It’s the best day of my career so far and my biggest victory ever.

Did you have a plan to beat Amélie ?
Not really. Amélie was not playing so well. I know she already had the pressure in front of her home crowd and I tried to put some more on her during the game… She gave me a chance and I took it.

Were you nervous ?
I was a bit nervous but not too much. It was OK because when you are too relaxed, you loose concentration. So it’s good to be a little nervous. Except for the second set, I never let Amélie win two or three games in a row. I didn’t want to let her get out of my range. I tried to be more aggressive in the third set and push her a little bit more. I was surprised she couldn’t react so I kept pushing. And it worked…<br>
You used your mobile phone just after the match. Who did you call ?
I called my mum in Moscow. I told her « I won ! » because she didn’t see the match. Marat was not at home but I told my mum, so everybody will know…(laughters) QUESTION ANSWERED

What do you think of the public ?
I am sorry for the crowd that I beat Amélie. They supported her but it was OK. I mean, if she comes to play against me in Moscow, that will be the same against her. I like the crowd here because they clapped me when I was winning a point.

This victory is the best answer to your brother’s critics in Australia ?
I showed him that I can fight. In Melbourne, we argued the day he said those things about me. I know that the press put it in a different way. Now I want to tell him: “You see Marat, I fight !” (laughters)

Are you going to celebrate this title ?
No. I don’t have time for that ! I am going to Antwerp tomorrow and I have to play against Tatiana Golovin in the first round. Anyway, I will keep the money for other things… (laughters).

[Damita]

Thanks for the interview Safinno. I'm surprised her family wasn't watching, because before the final they showed an interview of Dinara and she was saying her parents, Marat, uncles, aunts, and even grand parents were all together in Moscow and would watch. And she added maybe it wasn't a good idea because when Marat played the final of the US Open in 2000 nobody watched him and he won, whereas when he played the finals in Melbourne in 2002 and 2004 they were all watching and we know what happened..lol ;D

great pic Nicki! it's good to see her so happy

Anabel and her lost the doubles btw
Doubles - Final
Benesova/Peschke (CZE/CZE) d. (1) Medina Garrigues/Safina (ESP/RUS) 62 26 62

Well, it's been a great day anyway... and a great week! Congrats again dina!!!!!

[Jasmine]

Yeah! She did it.

Hope to see more from this good girl. ;D Quite a tough match, Amelie has big come back in second set. Dinara did a strong mantal job.

Congratulation to Dinara and also Nicki.

[annie]

alright! congrats to Dinara!



....seems the year is starting to look good for the Safins... ;D ;D

[kasey]

YAY ;D
She's pulled herself together (hehe maybs it was those wise words from Marat)

Hehe, thats awesome news!!

[Andrada]

annie said:

alright! congrats to Dinara!



....seems the year is starting to look good for the Safins... ;D ;D

You're right,Annie! It seems that this is going to be their year ! ;D 'fingers crossed'

Now...OMG,OMG,OMG SHE WON! i saw the relive of the match yesterday on Eurosport but i couldn't resist and had to check the teletext to find out the result!!!! And there it was!!! I couldn't believe my eyes! Dinara really deserves it!!! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!

Nicki,thank U for the picture and Safinno1,thank U for the article!

[Andrada]

Safina triumphs in Paris

Russia's Dinara Safina upset hot local favourite Amelie Mauresmo to win the Paris Open with a 6-4 2-6 6-3 victory on Sunday. The Russian capitalised on the high number of unforced errors made by the World number two to seal her third WTA tour singles title and her first of the season.

Safina, who was beaten by the Frenchwoman in the Australian Open second round last month, took advantage of Mauresmo's weak serve to clinch her third WTA title in two hours and 19 minutes.

Second-seeded Mauresmo, a winner in Paris in 2001, has now lost three finals in the Pierre de Coubertin hall after two previous defeats by Serena Williams in 1999 and 2003.

"She took her chance. She was very solid. I had many chances in the first set, which I didn't convert," said Mauresmo.

"Obviously, I didn't play my best tennis but she deserves her win. I'm still weak on some technical points. My service was awful. I have to go on working."

NO TIME

Australian Open winner Marat Safin's younger sister Safina, who meets French teenager Tatiana Golovin in next week's Antwerp Open first round, said she had no time to celebrate her win.

"I've called my mum in Moscow to tell her since the game was not on TV. And as Marat is at home, the whole family knows I've won," she said. in the article Safinno1 posted it was said that Marat wasn't at home... anyway...

"The difference between this game and Melbourne's is the heat. In Australia, Amelie made me run a lot and I was just worn out."

Safina, hitting baseline winners, won the first set in an hour after breaking Mauresmo's serve three times in a row.

However, the Frenchwoman took a 2-0 lead in the second set before ramming the advantage home as she broke Safina again in the fifth game, forcing the Russian to a decider.

Three forehand errors by Mauresmo gave Safina a 3-1 lead in the final set and the Russian then held serve before breaking an embittered Mauresmo again to serve for the match.

The Frenchwoman came back to 5-3 but eventually bowed out on Safina's first match point.

"Marat told me I needed to fight during the whole game. This is what I did today," said Safina.Good advice from the big brother! ;D And good Dina!She listened to it!

[SAFINNO1]

I dont know i am pretty sure Marat is back home (Monta Carlo) practising as somehwhere on this site he says that he will be going to start practising for Dubai???

[SAFINNO1]

The 'little sister' comes of age in Paris
February 13, 2005

More commonly known as the little sister of two-time Grand Slam winner Marat Safin, Russian teenager Dinara Safina came of age yesterday when she lifted her first major title at the expense of world number four Amelie Mauresmo at the Paris Indoor Open.

The 18-year-old Safina was playing in just her fourth final after previously winning lower tier events in Sopot in 2002 and Palermo in 2003, and being runner-up in Luxembourg in 2004.

But the 48th-ranked player's 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 disposal of second seed Amelie Mauresmo of France confirmed the growing mental strength which indicates things to come.

"I've started to be strong in my mind. I feel better the last few months," explained the Muscovite, who reached a career-high 29th last April before being sidelined with back and knee injuries.

Like her former world number one brother, who lifted his first Australian title last month after losing in two finals over the past three years, Safina puts her improvement, in part, down to her new Swedish coach Lars Wahlgren.

"He's a Swede and knows my brother's coach. I was beginning not to enjoy it. He started to say 'come on, have fun!'. He's opened my eyes a little bit."

Growing up is also travelling without her mum who coached her in the past.

"It's not that I don't want her with me. We get on good," explained Safina, whose first call courtside after her victory at the Pierre de Coubertin stadium was for her mother back home in Moscow.


"I've been getting a bit older. I was travelling with my mother and she was taking care of certain things. Maybe it helps to be a bit stronger in my head to travel on my own."

That mental strength helped her avenge her 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 defeat to Mauresmo in their previous meeting in the Australian Open second round last month.

"In Melbourne the conditions were different. It was so hot, I was dying in the second set," she said, adding that a ticking off from big brother also helped.

"He was a bit angry with me. He told me "you don't fight'," said Safina.

"I'm going to tell him now "see I fight!'."

Her $93 000 prizemoney might be her biggest earnings to date to add to the $608 000 dollars previously earned, but there is no time to rest.

"Celebrate, no chance!" she said.

"Tomorrow I have to go to Antwerp and my next match is against Tati Golovin."

"It's better to keep the money for other things."

As for the future, it's simple for the 2001 Wimbledon junior runner-up.

"I don't have any goals because any time I do something happens. It's just to have fun," she added.

[lau]

Well done Dinara!!! ;D ;D
I´m really, really happy for her.

[tall_one]

Andrada said:

in the article Safinno1 posted it was said that Marat wasn't at home... anyway...

that is the problem when interview(s) are done in one language (in this case either english or russian) then translated into french then translated back into english again

[SAFINNO1]

your right they get mis-interpreted

[Karen]

I'm so glad she won this !! ;D Straight off to another match and plays Golovin again, I hope Dinara wins again. That would make them 2-2 in the Head-to-Head meetings. Right, tall_one?
One thing that did tick me off at this tournament....Serena Williams She pulls out with the stomach flu, but has time to go to a few Grammy Award parties on Feb. 13th. in L.A. Quick recovery I'd say.
Good luck against Golovin, Dinara !!! 38th in the world and moving up.