Safina eager to show she's a worthy No 1

PARIS: Russia's Dinara Safina, who will replace Serena Williams as world No 1 later this month despite never having won a Grand Slam title, insists she will prove she belongs on top of the rankings.

The 22-year-old Safina, whose brother Marat was the men's top player in the world in 2000, will replace Williams, who has been on top for 11 consecutive weeks, and 72 in all, on April 20.

"There's no question that while I am very proud of my results over the past year, I would have liked to reach this achievement in a different manner," said Safina, the runner-up to the American at the Australian Open this year.