Safina wins WTA Los Angeles title

Los Angeles:

Fourth-seeded Russian Dinara Safina won the $600,000 WTA Tour hardcourt tournament here on Sunday with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian Flavia Pennetta.

Safina, ranked ninth in the world, captured the seventh title of her career and her second of 2008, after her victory in Berlin.

Since winning that trophy in May, Safina - younger sister of Marat Safin - had reached the final of the French Open and the grasscourt event at S'Hertogenbosch.

The 22-year-old reached the final here with a semi-final win over over top seed and world No. 2 Jelena Jankovic - ending Jankovic's hopes of capturing the world number one ranking from compatriot Ana Ivanovic this week.

Pennetta, 26, arrived with two titles to her credit in 2008, but she was playing in her first final at the more prestigious Tier 2 level.

The Italian, who fell to 0-4 against Safina, started strong, but when she dropped her serve in the eighth game of the opening set it signalled the onset of service struggles that she couldn't overcome.

Pennetta immediately broke back, but dropped her serve in the 10th game to surrender the set and failed to hold serve once in the second set as Safina stepped up her return game.

"I did everything I had to do. I stayed aggressive the entire time," said Safina, who finished off the match on her second match point with a stinging backhand service return.

"My serve wasn't working because she was very consistent and I was always nervous because I knew if I didn't make the first (serve), with the second she was pushing the ball so hard," Pennetta said.

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