Qualifier sends Kvitova home early
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Bulgarian qualifier Tsvetana Pironkova reached her first WTA final by beating second-seeded Petra Kvitova 6-4, 6-3 in the semifinals of the Sydney International yesterday in Australia.
Kvitova, the 2011 Wimbledon champion, was broken twice in the first set and four times in the second against Pironkova, who finished last season ranked No. 108.
“First time into a WTA final — it’s an amazing feeling,” said the 26-year-old. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”
With qualifiers and main draw, she has now won seven consecutive matches in Sydney and is aiming for No. 8 in the final, where she’ll meet fifth-seeded Angelique Kerber, who beat American Madison Keys 6-4, 6-2.
In the men’s tournament, top-seeded Juan Martin del Potro beat Czech veteran Radek Stepanek 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to set up a semifinal against Russia’s Dmitry Tursunov.
Del Potro, the 2009 US Open champion who finished last season ranked No. 5, nailed 14 aces and saved seven of 10 break points.
Tursunov earned a 7-6 (5), 6-2 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan. Defending champion Bernard Tomic beat Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 6-3 in a night quarterfinal.
John Isner reached the semifinals of the Heineken Open in Auckland, New Zealandm, after a 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 7-6 (5) win over fifth-seeded Philipp Kohlschreiber in a match between former champions.
“I played against a gutsy opponent so I knew I had to give everything I had,” Isner said. “I got a little bit lucky today.”
David Ferrer beat Spanish compatriot Guillermo Garcia Lopez 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
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