MOSCOW — Svetlana Kuznetsova will face reigning champion Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova in an all-Russian Kremlin Cup final after both won their semifinals on Friday.
Two-time Grand Slam winner Kuznetsova overcame Ukraine's Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 6-4 despite twice going a break down in the second set. At 4-2 down, Kuznetsova fought back to win the next four games and take the match.
"I was comfortable, had it together," Kuznetsova. "There was a while in the second set when I stopped playing the right tennis, the right tactics, but then I recovered it just in time."
Pavlyuchenkova is one match away from retaining her Kremlin Cup title after beating Russian qualifier Daria Kasatkina 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 in just over two hours.