Safina fights back to reach semis

FRENCH OPEN
Venue: Roland Garros Date: 24 May - 7 June
Coverage: Live on BBC Red Button, live streaming and daily text commentary on BBC Sport website, commentary on BBC 5 Live Sports Extra, plus updates on BBC Radio 5 Live. TV coverage on Eurosport.

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Safina was the runner-up at Roland Garros in 2008

Top seed Dinara Safina survived a stern test from Belarus teenager Victoria Azarenka to reach the semi-finals of the French Open with a 1-6 6-4 6-2 win.

Safina had only dropped five games on her way to the last eight but Azarenka attacked her from the start and broke three times in an impressive first set.

The Russian led 4-1 in the second set but had to raise her game to finish it before running away with the decider.

Safina will play Dominika Cibulkova or Maria Sharapova in the semi-finals.

She had steamrollered her way through her first four matches in Paris but found Azarenka a different proposition and was quickly a set down.

606: DEBATE Well done Safina - that was a tough test and with steely determination she passed it MrInvisible

The 19-year-old moved last year's runner-up around the court effectively and had enough power to put her in trouble.

Safina responded to break and lead 2-1 at the start of the second set and suddenly Azarenka's serve looked vulnerable, with double faults costing her dear as she cracked again to trail 4-1.

But even then, the ninth seed refused to yield and showed the determination that has seen her win three Tour titles this year to claw her way back to 4-4.

Big-hitting Safina, 23, needed to reaffirm herself on the match, and did so in style, immediately breaking again on her way to levelling the match.

And she maintained her momentum in the third set, keeping her cool while Azarenka allowed her emotions to run away with her, and quickly opening out a decisive 5-2 lead before serving out for a hard-fought victory.

Cibulkova, the 20th seed from Slovakia, plays the rejuvenated Sharapova later on Tuesday.

The other women's quarter-finals, between Sorana Cirstea and Samantha Stosur and Svetlana Kuznetsova and Serena Williams, will be played on Wednesday.

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