Kuznetsova claims Paris crown

By Pritha Sarkar

PARIS (Reuters) - Russia's Svetlana Kuznetsova froze out world number one Dinara Safina to claim a first French Open title on Saturday after overwhelming her compatriot.

Kuznetsova hardly allowed Safina to warm up on court before she condemned her to a 6-4 6-2 defeat in 74 minutes on an unusually chilly and damp day in Paris.

So one-sided was the affair that it barely came as a surprise when the dejected Safina bowed out with a double fault that bounced off the tape and fell wide.

Instead of rejoicing in her moment of triumph, a sympathetic Kuznetsova consoled her teary-eyed childhood friend by giving her a hug and a kiss across the net.

It was only then that the seventh seed raised her arms and thumped her heart to celebrate the fact that after five years she had won a second grand slam title to add to her 2004 success at the U.S. Open.

"I was waiting for many moments for this," Kuznetsova told the crowd after being handed the trophy by six times former winner Steffi Graf.

TEARFUL SAFINA

Seconds later, she turned her thoughts to Safina, who had also lost to Ana Ivanovic in the Paris final 12 months ago.