Katerina Siniakova set up a final with Sorana Cristea at the Habtoor Tennis ITF Challenge in Dubai. Both players spent five hours on the court in the semifinal.
Fifth seed Siniakova beat qualifier Elena Gabriela Ruse 6-3 6-7 (2-7) 6-4 after 2 hours and 33 minutes. The Czech player saved 9 of the 13 break points and converted seven of his nine opportunities on return.
Ruse held serve at love in the fifth game of the first set to take a 3-2 lead before Siniakova reeled off four consecutive games with breaks in the seventh and ninth games to claim the opening set 6-3.
The second set started with four consecutive breaks. Both players served well in the next games to set up a tie-break. Ruse earned three mini-breaks to win the tie-break 7-2.
Both players opened the third set with back-to-back breaks followed by four consecutive holds. They traded breaks in the seventh and eight games. Siniakova got a break at love in the ninth game to take a 5-4 lead before holding serve in the next game to secure her spot in the final.
Sorana Cristea edged second seed Polona Hercog 7-5 4-6 7-5 after 2 hours and 27 minutes in the other semifinal. The Romanian player earned four breaks and dropped her serve three times. She build up a 5-2 lead and served for the first set at 5-3. Hercog broke back to prolong the set, but she did not convert two break points at 5-5. Cristea earned another break to seal the first set 7-5. Hercog got two breaks in the second set saved a break point in the 10th game before wrapping up the second set 6-4 three points later forcing the match to the third set. Both players held on their serve in the first eleven games before Cristea earned the crucial break in the 12th game to book her spot in the final.
