Petrova overcomes injury to reach Moscow final

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

MOSCOW, Oct 14 (Reuters) Russia's Nadia Petrova overcame a groin injury to reach her first Kremlin Cup final with a 6-0 4-6 7-6 win over Czech teenager Nicole Vaidisova today.

In tomorrow's final the world number five, who is gunning for her sixth title of the year, will face unseeded Anna Chakvetadze, who upset fourth seed Elena Dementieva 7-5 3-6 6-0 in the all-Russian second semi-final.

After racing through the first set in 36 minutes, Petrova, who has been playing with a heavily-strapped left thigh for the entire week in Moscow, asked for a medical time-out to treat her right leg early in the second.

The injury seemed to hamper the fifth seed's mobility as the 17-year-old Vaidisova, who beat top seed and world number one Amelie Mauresmo in Friday's quarter-finals, regained her composure to level the match.

The tall Petrova, coming off an impressive victory at the Stuttgart Grand Prix last week, found some reserves in her game in the third set.

GIVEN PAINKILLERS Petrova wasted six match points in the 10th game of the final set before finally prevailing 7-3 in the tiebreaker after nearly two-and-a-half hours.

Chakvetadze, 19, will also be playing in her first final in Moscow after completely dominating the more experienced Dementieva in the third set.

She reached the last four without hitting a ball after U.S.

Open champion and second seed Maria Sharapova pulled out with a foot injury.

REUTERS AY BST2022

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