Svetlena Kuznetsova became French Open champion for the first time in her career by upsetting fellow Russian Dinara Safina in the final.

The underdog added the Roland Garros title to her 2004 US Open crown with a 6-4 6-2 win in what was, in truth, a disappointing final.

Kuznetsova showed the better variety and fully deserved her victory but Safina looked a shadow of the player that had won 20 of her 21 matches on clay in 2009.

Safina, the top seed, actually broke her opponent's serve in the opening game but from there it was all downhill.

Kuznetsova immediately retrieved the break and set about building a lead, using drop shots and the occasional foray to the net to unsettle her one-dimensional opponent.

Kuznetsova moved 5-3 ahead and although she failed to serve out it mattered little as she outhit Safina in the following game to take the opening set.

Safina had thrown in too many double faults in the opener but looked to be hanging in there as the second set began.

The set progressed on serve but stepping up at 2-3, Safina cracked.

Four straight errors from her racquet handed Kuznetsova a break of serve.

The seventh seed had struggled to close out her quarter-final and semi-final but on this occasion Safina was simply not playing well enough to stop her.

A double fault from Safina was an awful way for the match to end and the questions will now continue about her position as world number one. Having lost last year's Paris final and this year's Australian Open title decider, she remains without a Grand Slam title.

Afterwards, Kuznetsova admitted she had arrived in Paris not expecting to triumph.

"I'm really happy, it's very special here for me - winning for the very first time," she told the crowd.

"I didn't expect it to be this year. But I played with all my heart.

"It's my favourite tournament and I'm happy to win it."

An emotional Safina, beaten in the final for the second year in a row, said Kuznetsova was the correct winner.

"You really deserved your win," she said. " I wish you the best of luck for the rest of the season.

"I just wish I can play here again. Hopefully one day I can win here."