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Sports / Tennis
Kirilenko upsets Hantuchova to reach Kolkata final
(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-09-23 18:42
KOLKATA - Russian Maria Kirilenko beat second seed Daniela Hantuchova of
Slovakia 4-6 6-2 6-1 to reach her first WTA final at the Kolkata Open in
India?on Saturday.
Fourth seed Kirilenko will face unseeded Mariya Koryttseva on Sunday
after the Ukrainian overcame Briton Anne Keothavong 7-6 6-3 in the first
semi-final as she also bids for her first WTA title in the indoor
tournament.
Hantuchova, the 24-year-old world number 11 who had won three previous
meetings with Kirilenko, began well before the 35th-ranked Russian
repeatedly put pressure on her serve.
However, she pounced on a Kirilenko double-fault to break her serve in
the ninth game before serving out for the set.
Kirilenko produced many crisp down-the-line winners and sharp forehand
shots to race to 5-1 before claiming the second set with a backhand
winner and then twice broke the serve of a struggling Hantuchova to wrap
up the decider.
"The first set was so hard and it was good I eventually played well and
won," said a delighted Kirilenko.
Koryttseva overcame some early resistance from Keothavong before winning
the error-strewn first semi-final.
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