Having missed two set points in the opener, Safina saved a match point in the second set and then managed to gain the upper hand in the final decider.
Following the game a triumphant Dinara Safina said: "I knew I could beat her but I put too much pressure on myself and was way too passive. I was too dependent on her and I was 2-5 down in the second set and facing a match point.
"But I hit a winner on her match point and it changed things. Before I was just running and playing the ball back. But I had to focus on myself and not wait for her mistakes and let her dictate."
Maria Sharapova entered the French Open as the new world number one tennis player but she has never enjoyed clay and found it hard in her previous matches last week.
