Top seed Dinara Safina has dropped just one set en route to the French Open semi-finals where she faces Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova
Cibulkova thrashed former world number one Maria Sharapova in the quarter-finals and makes a strong start against Safina, taking a 2-0 lead
But the 20-year-old loses her way and drops the next five games as Safina's greater power and experience begins to tell on Court Phillipe Chatrier
Safina's form in the second set is far from convincing but Cibulkova cannot take advantage, the Slovak managing to convert just one of her eight break points
The towering Russian wraps up a 6-3 6-3 win to reach the French Open final for the second year in a row, and her second straight Grand Slam final
Seventh seed Svetlana Kuznetsova is favourite to make it an all-Russian final at Roland Garros for the second time in five years
In Kuznetsova's way is surprise package Sam Stosur, who is the first Australian to reach a singles semi-final in Paris since Pat Rafter in 1997
All seems to be going to plan for 2006 runner-up Kuznetsova as she wins the first set 6-4 and serves for the match at 5-4 in the second set
But the 23-year-old, who needs treatment on an ankle injury, allows Stosur back into it and then sees the Aussie recover from 5-2 down to take the tie-break and force a deciding set
Stosur has a break point at 2-2 in the deciding set but Kuznetsova's serve gets her out of trouble and the Russian reels off three straight games to lead 5-2
Kuznetsova has a history of wobbling when the finishing line is in sight but this time she keeps her nerve to wrap up a 6-4 6-7 (5-7) 6-3 win in two hours 25 minutes, and she will play Safina on Saturday for the title
What are these?
E-mail this to a friend 
Bookmark with:
What are these?