Svetlana Kuznetsova set-up an all-Russian French Open final against top seed Dinara Safina when she defeated battling Australian Samantha Stosur 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 6-3 in Thursday's semifinals.

Seventh seed Kuznetsova will be playing in her second Roland Garros title match having finished runner-up to Justine Henin in 2006 and will be chasing a second Grand Slam title to add to her 2004 US Open victory.

Safina, runner-up to Ana Ivanovic in 2008, reached the final with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Slovakia's 20th seed Dominika Cibulkova.

"It was tough out there. I was 4-2 up in the second set, 30-0 and then I double-faulted," said Kuznetsova, who also needed a marathon three sets to see off world number two Serena Williams in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

"Samantha played great rallies and I give her credit for that. But I stayed tough in the third set and I never gave up," added Kuznetsova, the only player to have defeated Safina on clay this season in the final in Stuttgart.

"Dinara will be the favourite to win on Saturday, she is the number one and after Stuttgart she beat me in Rome. I will just have to move her around and work my game."

For Stosur, playing in her first Grand Slam semifinal and bidding to become the first Australian woman since Wendy Turnbull in 1979 to reach the final, there was a degree of consolation.

Her performances, which included a third round victory over Russian fourth seed Elena Dementieva, will push her into the world's top 20 for the first time when the new WTA rankings are announced on Monday.

"I thought I handled the occasion very well. I gave it my best shot and wasn't overawed," said Stosur.

"I tried until the last point, but when you are a break down in the last set, it can be very hard."

After a hold each, both players struggled for control in the first set with five successive breaks of serve before 23-year-old Kuznetsova halted the sequence for a 5-3 lead.

The Russian then needed lengthy treatment on her right foot which was heavily bandaged.

However, it didn't hinder her progress as she went on to wrap up the opening set 6-4.

Kuznetsova was a break ahead to lead 4-2 in the second set as errors continued to plague the Australian's game.

Stosur then made the most of a sloppy Kuznetsova service game to break back to go to 4-4, before she found herself two points away from defeat in the tiebreak.

Despite coming off worse in a point-blank exchange of fierce volleys at the net, the girl from the Gold Coast dug deep to snatch the breaker with a brutal forehand.

Stosur, the 30th seed, then wasted a break point in the fifth game of the decider and Kuznetsova made her pay by breaking in the next game to lead 4-2.

The Russian went to match point thanks to another crunching forehand and claimed victory when Stosur pushed a tired drive into the foot of the net.

AFP

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