Olympics: Dementieva wins women's singles

Monday, 18 August 2008

BEIJING - Elena Dementieva beat fellow Russian Dinara Safina 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to win the Olympic Games women's singles gold medal on Sunday.

The 2000 silver-medallist overcame an error-strewn first set to lead a Russian podium sweep after Vera Zvonareva claimed the bronze medal earlier.

World number 11 Zvonareva beat Li Na 6-0, 7-5 in the third-place play-off, denying China a first singles medal but guaranteeing the Russian treble.

It was the first one-two-three in any tennis event since 1908, when Great Britain also collected all three women's singles medals.

Meanwhile Yan Zi and Zheng Jie bagged doubles bronze 6-2, 6-2 against Ukrainian sisters Alona and Kateryna Bondarenko to claim China's second successive medal in the event.