Mon, Sep 13, 2004 page20

• Kuznetsova takes title

  US OPEN Pounding big shots, Svetlana Kuznetsova defeated an injured Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5 in the events' first all-Russian final

  • AP
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  At just 19, with braces still on her teeth, Svetlana Kuznetsova became the first Russian to win the US Open championship on Saturday. She's also the third straight Russian woman to win a major.

  "When I played the first game, I was, `Wow, there are so many people out here.' I was nervous," said Kuznetsova, never past the quarterfinals at a major before. "This morning, I was nervous. I was stiff. But something inside of me was telling me I would be fine."

  

  Svetlana Kuznetsova, right, and Elena Dementieva during the trophy presentation for the women's singles final at the US Open in Flushing Meadows, New York, Saturday.

  PHOTO: AFP

  As of four months ago, no Russian woman had ever won a major, but Anastasia Myskina beat Dementieva in the French Open final, and Maria Sharapova won Wimbledon. Russians occupy half of the top 10 spots in the rankings.

  "Russia is just a powerful country," said Kuznetsova, the youngest Open champion since Serena Williams was 17 in 1999. "There's competition between us."

  Kuznetsova was known for being Martina Navratilova's former doubles partner. They won five titles as a pair and were the runners-up at the 2003 Open.

  The men's final today will feature top-ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland against 2001 Open champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Federer, bidding to become the first man since 1988 to win three majors in a year, beat No. 5 Tim Henman of Britain 6-3, 6-4, 6-4, while No. 4 Hewitt eliminated No. 28 Joachim Johansson of Sweden 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 Saturday afternoon.

  Saturday evening began on a somber note, with 20,524 spectators joining in a moment of silence to remember victims of Sept. 11, 2001, and the recent terrorist attack at a school in Russia.

  Kuznetsova and Dementieva both wore black ribbons in memory of the hundreds of Russian victims, and they walked out from the locker room wearing blue baseball caps with "FDNY" and "NYPD" to honor New York's police and fire workers.

  The American flag atop the stadium was at half-staff, and a 15m flag was unfurled on court before the match. Dementieva asked the crowd to observe another moment of silence after the match.

  "It's a great day for me as a tennis player," Dementieva said. "It's a day to remember. You lost hundreds of people on Sept. 11, 2001 -- Sept. 1, 2004, we lost hundreds of children."

  When play began, Kuznetsova was brilliant, striking winner after winner on the forehand side. She finished with 23 from that wing alone. Dementieva normally has just as good a forehand but was reduced to chasing shots on defense and wound up with a total of just seven winners overall -- 27 fewer than Kuznetsova.

  "I was playing in pain these two weeks," said Dementieva, slowed by an injury to her left leg which was heavily wrapped.
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