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MOSCOW, Oct 15: Unseeded Italian Francesca Schiavone will meet third seed Mary Pierce in Sunday’s Kremlin Cup final after both players claimed straight-set semifinal victories over Russian opponents on Saturday.
Schiavone crushed fourth seed Elena Dementieva 6-3 6-1 to spoil the Russian’s 24th birthday while 30-year-old Pierce overcame teenager Dinara Safina 7-6 6-3.
Schiavone, who had already knocked out second seed Amelie Mauresmo and 2004 U.S. Open champion Svetlana Kuznetsova to reach the last four, continued her giant-killing run at Moscow’s Olympic sports complex.
STOCKHOLM: James Blake took revenge for last month’s Davis Cup disappointment, dominating Olivier Rochus 6-4, 6-3 at the 680,250-euro Stockholm Open to claim a first-ever spot in a European final here Saturday.
Blake improved to 33-19 on the season after also reaching title bouts at home on summer hardcourt in Washington, where he lost to Andy Roddick, and New Haven, venue for a trophy win over Spain’s Feliciano Lopez.
Blake will face off Sunday against the winner from 2002 champion Paradorn Srichaphan and Italian Davide Sanguinetti, who has beaten the former ninth-ranked Thai on four previous occasion.
Blake broke took the first set against Rochus with a break in the ninth game, serving it out with an ace. In the second, the pair traded breaks before the American edged ahead.
Blake then fired two aces on the way to a 5-3 lead before a final break sealed victory a game later.
Results
Semifinals: James Blake (USA) bt Olivier Rochus (BEL x5) 6-4, 6-3; Paradorn Srichaphan (THA) bt Davide Sanguinetti (ITA) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
BANGKOK: Results from the US$200,000 PTT Thailand Open WTA tournament on Saturday.
Singles semifinals: Nadia Petrova (RUS) bt Antonella Serra Zanetti (ITA) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4; Nicole Vaidisova (CZE) bt Gisela Dulko (ARG) 3-6, 6-0, 7-6 (7/3).—Agencies
