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Proud momma excited about daughter's first trip to a major final

By Sandra Harwitt
Special to ESPN.com

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Not long after Dinara Safina reached her first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros with a surprisingly succinct 6-3, 6-2 victory over fellow Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, she rushed into her mother's waiting arms in the players' lounge. Raouza Islanova, a famed tennis coach in Russia, grabbed her daughter and hugged her tightly -- clearly every ounce the proud parent. Islanova, blonde hair cut short, often offers a stern pose courtside. But the woman who also coached Elena Dementieva and Anastasia ...

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