/world sport
BERLIN, Germany -- Dinara Safina and a re-energized Elena Dementiieva will contest an all-Russian final at the German Open in Berlin after both secured straight sets victories in the semifinals on Saturday.
Safina is hoping to clinch the seventh title of her career in her first final of the year.
Safina, conqueror of top-ranked Justine Henin and Serena Williams at the WTA Tier One clay court event, saw off Victoria Azarenka of Belarus 6-4 6-1, while Dementieva beat defending champion and second seed Ana Ivanovic 6-2 7-5.
Safina never looked back after erasing a 3-1 first-set deficit against her 18-year-old opponent to make her first final of the year.
"This is one of my best weeks ever," Safina said. "If someone had told me before the week I would be in the final, I would have given them half my prize money."
Serbian star Ivanovic had to complete her match against Hungary's Agnes Szavay earlier on Saturday morning, winning in three sets after the match was halted by darkness the previous evening.
Her win ensured that the upset-filled German Open would not become the first WTA Tour event in 28 years in which none of the top six seeds reached the semifinals.
The clay-court event began with six of the world's top seven in the field -- and 17 of the top 20 -- before the upsets began.
And they duly continued in the second semifinal as Dementieva, sporting an improved service, proved too good for Ivanovic, winning in one hour 32 minutes.
The ninth-ranked Dementieva, who also ousted fifth-ranked Jelena Jankovic earlier this week, extended her record to 4-0 against Ivanovic.
"It was different playing her here, because I know she was the defending champion," Dementieva said. "She's a great player, but maybe I was better today."
The defeat means Ivanovic will lose her number two world ranking on Monday to Maria Sharapova, who sat out the tournament in Berlin due to injury.
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