BALI, Sept 28: Russian teenager Svetlana Kuznetsova upset friend and second seed Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain 7-5 6-4 to reach the final of the Wismilak International Saturday.
In the other semifinal, Spanish eighth seed Conchita Martinez ended the run of American qualifier Sarah Taylor with a comfortable 6-0 6-3 victory.
Kuznetsova and Sanchez-Vicario are doubles partners and have been friends since the 17-year-old Russian first attended the academy of Arantxa’s brother Emilio three years ago.
The result took Kuznetsova through to her second WTA final of the year and followed her victory in Helsinki last month.
Martinez, who withdrew from the doubles the previous evening to protect her injured shoulder, won the first six games and the last six against her opponent, who failed to grab the important points in a number of key games.—Reuters