Russian qualifier Ekaterina Makarova and unseeded Victoria Azarenka of Belarus will meet in the Eastbourne final after shock semi-final wins on Friday.
Makarova, ranked 100th in the world, stunned French Open finalist and third seed Samantha Stosur 7-6 (7/5), 7-5, while Azarenka knocked out French eighth seed Marion Bartoli 6-3, 7-5.
“I was a little bit nervous, as I had not played on the center court here before,” said Makarova, who trailed 0-3 at the start. “I was fighting for every point. Today, my second serve was sometimes much better than my first.”
Even in defeat, Roland Garros finalist Stosur goes into Wimledon confident with her grass preparation.
“To have played as many matches as I have, it’s still good preparation for Wimbledon,” the Australian said.
Azarenka, winner of the Miami title last year, will be playing in her second final of the season after finishing runner-up in Dubai to Venus Williams.
The final will be the 20-year-old’s first meeting with Makarova, 22, from Moscow, who eliminated 2005 champion Kim Clijsters in the quarter-finals at Devonshire Park prior to stopping Stosur.
Azaranka used an early break to win the first set against Bartoli, who stalled at the semi-final stage for the fourth year in a row.
Azarenka and her opponent exchanged breaks in the third and fourth games of the second set, with Azarenka breaking in the last game to seal the victory on her first match-point.
Stosur was made to pay in a marathon opening set by Makarova. The Russian took it in just under an hour after breaking Stosur twice. The Australian battled from 2-5 down in the tie-breaker, but stalled at 5-5 and Marakova eventually secured the early lead.
The second set was more evenly poised, with Stosur saving two match-points in the final game before Makarova came good on a third.
Stosur, who lost the French Open final this month to Francesca Schiavone, fired six aces and saved five of eight break-points in defeat.
In the men’s event, French eighth seed Michael Llodra beat Oleksandr Dolgopolov of the Ukraine 6-3, 7-5 and will bid for a second title this season when he faces Spanish fifth seed Guillermo Garcia-Lopez, who defeated Uzbekistan’s Denis Istomin 3-6, 6-3, 6-4.
■UNICEF OPEN
AFP, S’HERTOGENBOSCH, NETHERLANDS
Justine Henin continued her flawless run on Friday with a straight sets defeat of Alexandra Dulgheru in the semi-finals.
The top-seeded Belgian prevailed 6-2, 6-2 against the Romanian fifth seed, who was playing just her second Tour event on grass.
She will face Andrea Petkovic in the final after the German seventh seed overcame Belgium’s Kirsten Flipkens 6-7 (3/7), 7-6 (7/2), 6-4.
Former world No. 1 Henin is playing her first grass-court tournament since cutting short her retirement earlier this year as she gears up for a shot at a first ever Wimbledon singles title.
In the men’s semi-finals, seventh seed Janko Tipsarevic battled past defending champion Benjamin Becker.
The 25-year-old dropped a set before seeing off the eighth-seeded German 6-7 (5/7), 6-3, 6-4 to set up a meeting with Sergiy Stakhovsky of the Ukraine.
Earlier, Stakhovsky, 24, hit five aces and converted all four break-point opportunities to beat Xavier Malisse of Belgium 6-3, 6-4 after 67 minutes in their semi-final.
The 71st-ranked Ukrainian is bidding for his third title.
Serb Tipsarevic, ranked 51st in the world, is bidding for his first ATP senior title in his second final after Moscow last year.
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