Medvedev hails Kuznetsova triumph

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev congratulated Svetlana Kuznetsova on her victory at the French Open on Saturday, the Kremlin press service reported.

"You have confirmed you are world class in the difficult fight for this honour, you demonstrated a strong character and will," Medvedev said in a telegram.

"Your stunning and emotionally tense playing became a brilliant continuation of the 'Russian finals' on the planet's major tournaments, and proved again the supremacy of our country's women tennis school," the Russian leader added.

Kuznetsova's 6-4, 6-2 triumph over Dinara Safina brought her a second Grand Slam title, five years after she stunned the tennis world by lifting the US Open as a 19-year-old newcomer.

MOSCOW, Sunday, AFP