BEIJING — Russians Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva have advanced to play each other in the Olympic final in women's singles.

Dementieva beat a third Russian semifinalist, Vera Zvonareva, 6-3, 7-6 (3) on Saturday. Less than five minutes later on an adjacent court, Safina closed out a win over Li Na of China, 7-6 (3), 7-5.

Safina and Dementieva will play for the gold medal Sunday and are assured of at least a silver. Dementieva was a silver medalist at Sydney in 2000, while Safina is a first-time Olympian.

Safina won her 15th match in a row, playing only 12› hours after losing a doubles match that ended at 3:35 a.m. Dementieva built on the momentum of her quarterfinal victory over Serena Williams.