THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO -- Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina cruised into the final of the Pan Pacific Open with straight-set victories Saturday. Seventh-ranked Kuznetsova defeated Slovenia's Katarina Srebotnik 7-6 (5), 6-2, while No. 5 Safina routed compatriot Nadia Petrova 6-1, 6-0. Safina will bid for her fourth title of the season, heading into her seventh final. She won in Los Angeles, Montreal and Berlin. Safina isn't thinking much about Sunday's final being an all-Russian affair. "It's just another match," Safina said. "We know each other well, and I hope it's going to be a good match that we both can enjoy." Kuznetsova is aiming for her first title of the year. "I'm trying to do new things and it's exciting to be on the court," she said. After a closely contested first set, Kuznetsova broke Srebotnik three times in the second. Kuznetsova broke Srebotnik with a backhand down the line in the seventh game to go ahead 5-2. She took a 40-love lead in the next game, but Srebotnik fought back to deuce before Kuznetsova won her fourth match point. Kuznetsova, who won the U.S. Open in 2004, won her last Tier I singles title in 2006 in Miami. She helped Russia defeat Spain in the Fed Cup final earlier in the week. "Winning the Fed Cup has given me more motivation," Kuznetsova said. It was Safina's first win in six matches against Petrova. "There is a first time for everything in life," said Safina, who had seven aces. "We've had some good matches in the past. The strategy was to just go out there and hit the ball as hard as I can."
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