DOHA, Nov 9: Venus Williams will play Vera Zvonareva in the final of the WTA Championships after both women achieved difficult three-set victories on Saturday.

Wimbledon champion Williams overcame Serbian world number one Jelena Jankovic 6-2, 2-6, 6-3, and Zvonareva beat fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 7-6, 3-6, 6-3.

The match between Williams and Jankovic produced high-quality rallies as both players defended well but attacked at every opportunity.

Jankovic recovered from 0-40 in the first game, winning nine of the next 10 points and going on to lead 3-0. She held off another threat after Williams broke for 3-2, saving two game points for 3-3 before breaking Williams again for 4-2.

The final set was the most closely contested, with Williams breaking for 2-1 and then fighting off five break points to hold for 4-2. As errors once more began to appear in Jankovic’s game, Williams broke a final time for the match.—Reuters