MOSCOW, March 31 (RIA Novosti) - Miami will crown a Russian tennis champion for the first time after two of the country's young tennis stars advanced early Friday to the final of the women's singles at the Nasdaq-100 Open tournament.
Svetlana Kuznetsova, seeded 12, cruised through with a surprisingly quick 6-1, 6-4 victory over world No.1 Amelie Mauresmo of France, in 1:18.
Fourth seed Maria Sharapova fought hard to win another Russian-French semifinals against Moscow-born Tatiana Golovin (22), who had to retire at 3-4 in the third set due to an ankle injury. Sharapova won the first set, 6:3, but lost the second on a tiebreak.
2004 U.S. Open winner Kuznetsova and Wimbledon 2004 winner Sharapova will meet for the fifth time. Currently they are tied at two wins each in head-to-head encounters, although Sharapova has won the last two.
