27 July,2009 11:10 AM IST | | AFP
World No 1 Dinara Safina won her third title of 2009 with a 6-7 (5/7), 6-1, 7-5 win over defending champion Sara Errani of Italy in the Slovenian Open final yesterday.
The 23-year-old Russian, playing her first event since losing in the Wimbledon semi-finals over three weeks ago, captured her 12th career trophy.
But Safina, still without a Grand Slam title, struggled to impress in the three-hour marathon and will need to look sharper when the final major of the year, the US Open, gets underway in New York on August 31.
