CINCINNATI, OH, USA - It took the world No.1 to put a stop to the comeback of Kim Clijsters on Friday, and on Saturday she cooled off the hottest player of the summer, as Dinara Safina crushed Flavia Pennetta in the semifinals of the Western & Southern Financial Group Women's Open. The second semifinal at night was far, far closer.
Pennetta, who came into this tournament on the heels of back-to-back titles at Palermo and Los Angeles, won another four matches here to take her win streak to 15 matches - a streak that, on Monday, will make her Italy's first ever Top 10 player. But the No.14 seed wouldn't get to 16 in a row in her Saturday afternoon semifinal, as top seed Safina blew her off the court in just 56 minutes, 62 60, her seventh win in the pair's seven career meetings. 
Highlights: Safina vs. Pennetta
"I knew I had to be strong from the beginning, because I know what it's like playing that many matches in a row, and when somebody starts putting pressure on you right away when you're tired, it's tough to face it," Safina said. "I didn't want her to get into the match. If I let her get into it, she'd start feeling better and better and she'd forget about everything."
"There was too much power today. She was playing very well. She didn't make mistakes at all," Pennetta said. "I was a little bit tired because of all the matches I've played the last few weeks, but I didn't lose because of that. I was in front of the No.1 in the world, and she was playing unbelievably."
Safina will be playing her eighth Sony Ericsson WTA Tour final of the season, having won Rome, Madrid and Portoroz and finishing runner-up at Sydney, the Australian Open, Stuttgart and Roland Garros. She is 12-11 overall in finals.
Next up for Safina will be No.5 seed Jelena Jankovic, who edged No.4 seed Elena Dementieva, 76(2) 06 76(6). The third set was full of drama as each player had chances to close it out before it actually got closed out, with Jankovic squandering three match points while serving for the match at 5-4, 40-0, and Dementieva holding a 6-2 lead in the tie-break. Jankovic ended up winning six points in a row to take it, including saving those four match points. Jankovic is now 7-3 against Dementieva. Highlights: Jankovic vs. Dementieva
"I really don't know how I pulled it out. It's really amazing," Jankovic said. "There were so many ups and downs throughout the match. I thought I was going to win at 5-4, and then all of a sudden she was going for broke on those points. It was tough for me to accept I lost that game, but then I just refocused and played the best I could. When it got to 6-2 in the tie-break I just said to myself, 'I know I can win. I just have to take it one point at a time.'
"It has been a while since I played the final of a big tournament, and it's good to be back."
Jankovic will be playing her second Tour final of the year, having won the clay court event in Marbella in April. She is 10-10 lifetime in finals.
Safina leads the head-to-head with Jankovic, 3-2. Safina has won their last two meetings, both coming during the summer hardcourt season last year - at Los Angeles (76(3) 61) and the Beijing Olympics (62 57 63).
