World No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki outlasted French Open champion Francesca Schiavone to reach the final at the inaugural $618,000 Brussels Ladies Open, a final clay-court French Open tuneup. The former U.S. Open runner-up Wozniacki snuck past the third-seeded Schiavone 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in 2 hours, 33 minutes at Royal Primerose Tennis Club on Friday.
Wozniacki is now 4-2 lifetime versus Schiavone, who upset the Dane in last year’s French Open quarterfinals. Wozniacki’s opponent in Saturday’s finale will be eighth-seeded Chinese Peng Shuai, who toppled second-seeded two-time 2010 Grand Slam runner-up Vera Zvonareva 6-3, 6-3 in 1 hour, 20 minutes. Peng swatted seven aces and piled up four service breaks in the Day-5 upset. “I’m really excited to go to the final,” Peng said, after beating Zvonareva for the first time in eight tries.
“I played her many times and lost many times.” The 20-year-old Wozniacki will meet the 25-year-old Peng for a fourth time at the WTA level, with the Dane holding a 2-1 lifetime advantage. Wozniacki will appear in her 26th career final, seeking a 16th championship. She’s 3-2 in her 2011 finals, including a big title at Indian Wells back in March.
Peng will compete in her fourth career final, seeking a first-ever WTA title. This marks her first final since 2008.
Saturday’s winner will collect $103,000.
Bartoli, Petkovic in Strasbourg final: Top seeds Marion Bartoli of France and Germany’s Andrea Petkovic were Friday’s semifinal winners at the $220,000 Strasbourg International clay-court tennis event, a final French Open tuneup.
The heavy crowd favorite Bartoli blitzed seventh-seeded three-time Strasbourg champion Anabel Medina Garrigues 6-1, 6-2 in 76 minutes, while Petkovic outlasted sixth-seeded Slovakian veteran Daniela Hantuchova 6-4, 3-6, 6-4 in 2 hours, 42 minutes at Centre de la Ligue d’Alsace.
Bartoli is now 6-2 lifetime against Medina Garrigues, who had won both of their previous encounters on clay, including one in Rome just last week. The 28-year-old Spanish Medina Garrigues captured this French event in 2005 and back-to-back in 2007 and 2008. Bartoli and Petkovic will meet for a fourth time at the WTA level, with the Frenchwoman holding a 2-1 lifetime advantage. They’ve split a pair of meetings already this season, with Petkovic prevailing in a semifinal in Brisbane and Bartoli coming out on top in the round of 32 at Indian Wells.
Bartoli also beat Petkovic in a second-rounded at the 2007 French Open. The 26-year-old Bartoli is 5-7 in her career finals, including a runner-up finish at Wimbledon in 2007. She hasn’t titled this season, but did post a runner-up finish at the glamorous event in Indian Wells. Bartoli hasn’t titled on the circuit since 2009. The 23-year-old Petkovic, meanwhile, was a runner-up in Brisbane earlier this year and is 1-2 in her career finals. Her lone title came in Bad Gastein in 2009. Saturday’s winner will collect $37,000.
