The world tennis number one Dinara Safina came from behind to win an epic contest with Venus Williams 6-7 6-3 6-4 and set up an all-Russian final at the Italian Open.
Safina rallied from a set and 2-0 down to earn the right to face her compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova, who barged past Belarussian Victoria Azarenka with a 6-2 6-4 win.
The pair will meet in a final for the second week running after Kuznetsova beat Safina to capture the Stuttgart Grand Prix last Sunday and end a barren run stretching back to 2007.
