Player of the week: Dinara Safina

For the 2nd week in a row, Dinara Safina is our player of the week after she captured the title in the mandatory Premier tournament in Madrid. This is the 3rd final and 2nd consecutive title for Safina in three weeks, making an impressive 15-1 record this clay season.


After enjoying a bye in the 1st round, Safina defeated two very dangerous players, Chinese Na Li and Czech Lucie Safarova, who maneged to take a set form Safina, to book her place in the quarterfinals. In the quarters Safina should have met Svetlana Kuznetsova for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, after Stuttgart and Rome finals, but Ukranian Alona Bondarenko, who played a great tennis during the week, upsetted Kuznetsova. Nevertheless, Bondarenko was not a big deal for Safina, who raised her level as she progressed to the decissive rounds. Safina showed again a very solid game and mentality and defeated Patty Schnyder in the semifinal and Caroline Wozniacki in the final dropping just 6 games on each match.


With this victory Safina has proven that she is the strongest player at the moment, that her #1 place in the ranking is well deserved and that she is the top favourite to win Roland Garros starting next week.