Dinara Safina had little trouble continuing her impressive run, winning her second title of the year on Sunday with a 6-4 6-2 defeat of Flavia Pennetta at the East West Bank Classic.

The fourth-seeded Russian, who has been one of the hottest players on the WTA Tour, improved to 22-3 since the start of May, including a title in Berlin and a surprising runner-up performance at the French Open.

By winning this $600,000 hardcourt event, she claimed her seventh career title.

Safina never was threatened against Pennetta, firing 19 winners and converting six-of-11 break points as she improved to 4-0 overall against her Italian opponent.

"I did everything I had to do," said Safina. "I stayed aggressive the entire time."

The 22-year-old Safina also was a finalist at 's-Hertogenbosch just prior to Wimbledon, where she suffered a third-round loss.

The latest victory for Safina came one day after she disposed of top seed Jelena Jankovic in straight sets, a win that kept the Serb from becoming the world's top player.

Safina's recent run is even more remarkable considering that eight of those 22 wins since May have come against top-10 players.

En route to the Berlin title, Safina defeated former number one Justine Henin (who retired following the loss), Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva - currently ranked fifth and sixth, respectively.

Before falling to Ana Ivanovic in the championship at Roland Garros, Safina made headlines with memorable wins over then-number one Maria Sharapova, Dementieva and current number four Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The 26-year-old Pennetta was bidding for her third title of the year after winning Tier III events in Vina del Mar and Acapulco.

She looked overmatched at times against Safina, committing 20 unforced errors.