Svetlana Kuznetsova is to face reigning champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an all-Russian Kremlin Cup final after both won their semi-finals on Friday.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova overcame Ukraine’s Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-4, despite twice going a break down in the second set. At 4-2 down, Kuznetsova fought back to win the next four games and take the match.
“I was comfortable, had it together,” Kuznetsova said. “There was a while in the second set when I stopped playing the right tennis, the right tactics, but then I recovered it just in time.”
Photo: EPA
Pavlyuchenkova is one match away from retaining her Kremlin Cup title after beating Russian qualifier Daria Kasatkina 2-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Pavlyuchenkova landed just 54 percent of her first serves and said she had been feeling tired after winning in Linz last week.
“Even being on the court was hard. My condition was really bad today,” she said.
In the men’s event, top-seeded Marin Cilic of Croatia is to play a semi-final against Russian wild-card Evgeny Donskoy.
Cilic, last year’s US Open champion, swept past Russia’s Andrei Kuznetsov 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour in their quarter-final.
Donskoy won an all-Russian quarter-final 6-3, 6-2 against Teymuraz Gabashvili.
Second-seeded Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain reached the other semi-final with a 6-4, 6-2 win over France’s Lucas Pouille.
He next faces German Philipp Kohlschreiber, who won 6-2, 6-4 against Robin Haase of the Netherlands.
STOCKHOLM OPEN
Defending champion Tomas Berdych advanced into the semi-finals of the Stockholm Open after a straight-sets victory over Grigor Dimitrov on Friday.
The top-seeded Berdych beat Bulgaria’s Dimitrov 7-5, 6-4 in a repeat of last year’s final.
He next faces Marcos Baghdatis who needed three sets to overcome the eight-seeded Gilles Muller, 7-6 (5), 4-6, 6-3.
Second-seeded Richard Gasquet came from one set down to beat Jeremy Chardy 2-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4).
Gasquet next faces American Jack Sock who beat Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-2, 6-4.
ERSTE BANK OPEN
Top-seeded David Ferrer eased past Fabio Fognini of Italy 6-4, 6-2 to reach his eighth semi-final of the season at the Erste Bank Open on Friday.
Ferrer was to play sixth-seeded Gael Monfils yesterday for a place in today’s final, while Steve Johnson of the US and Ernests Gulbis of Latvia were to contest the other semi-final.
Monfils rallied to defeat Lukas Rosol of Czech Republic 6-7(3/7), 6-3, 6-3. The Frenchman hit 19 aces and avoided break points.
Johnson rallied to defeat second-seeded Kevin Anderson 5-7, 7-6(7/5), 6-4 and reach his fourth career semi-final.
Gulbis, who was on a five-match losing streak coming to the tournament, beat seventh-seeded Ivo Karlovic of Croatia 7-6(7/4), 7-6(7/5).
LUXEMBOURG OPEN
Misaki Doi of Japan upset fifth-seeded Jelena Jankovic of Serbia 7-6(7/4), 7-5 to reach her first semi-final this season at the Luxembourg Open on Friday.
The 92nd-ranked Doi set up a semi-final against Alison van Uytvanck of Belgium.
Van Uytvanck beat seventh-seeded Barbora Strycova of the Czech Republic, 6-4, 6-4. The other semi-final was to see Mona Barthel of Germany play Switzerland’s Stefanie Voegele.
Barthel eased past Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia, 6-3, 6-4, while Voegele progressed with a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win over German Laura Siegemund.
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