Pierce meets Schiavone in Kremlin Cup Final

MOSCOW—Third-seeded Mary Pierce defeated Russian teenager Dinara Safina 7-6 (2), 6-3 Saturday and will play for the Kremlin Cup title against Francesca Schiavone of Italy.
Schiavone upset fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva of Russia 6-3, 6-1 in the semifinals and on Sunday will be going for her first WTA championship.
“It is so important for me,” said Schiavone, who is ranked No. 22 and in her second final this season. “For me it’s a big goal and maybe it’s my moment”.
Dementieva, twice a runner-up in this tournament, lost on her 24th birthday.
“It’s so sad to lose on a birthday,” she said. “Unlike my previous opponents, Francesca played very good, returning top spins to all my balls”.
Safina, 19-year-old sister of Marat Safin, had scored her biggest win when she rallied from a set down to defeat top-ranked Maria Sharapova in the quarterfinals.
On Saturday, Safina led 4-1 in the first set after breaking in the first game, but Pierce tied it 4-4 and then won five straight points to take the tiebreaker.
Pierce, the 1998 winner of this event, converted a break point in the second game to lead 4-1 in the second set. She hit two aces in the seventh game to go in front 5-2 and then succeeded on her first match point with a backhand winner down the line.
Schiavone beat second-seeded Amelie Mauresmo in the second round and eighth-seeded Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals.
She traded breaks early in the first set with Dementieva before breaking in the eighth game. The Russian had four double-faults in the first set, made two more in the opening game of the second and then lost four consecutive games.
Schiavone drew Dementieva into long rallies and forced mistakes. The Russian saved two break points in the fifth game, but two games later the match was over.—Agencies