Elena Dementieva is the singles gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics, having defeated fellow Russian Dinara Safina 3-6 7-5 6-3.
What an achievement for Russian tennis, all the three medals were taken by Russian players with Dementieva winning the gold, Safina silver and Zvonareva bronze with a victory 6-0 7-5 over China’s Li Na.
Dementieva took advantage of 17 double-fault committed by Safina, plus, the eventual champion Dementieva hit twice as many winners, 26 to 13.
“I never expected a medal — gold, silver or bronze,” said Dementieva. “It’s unbelievable. For me this is the best moment in my career. I’ll never forget it.”
The 26-year-old Dementieva won the silver medal in Sydney in 2000.
