Svetlana Kuznetsova has reached the final of the Miami Open for the first time courtesy of a 7-5 6-3 victory over Timea Bacsinszky this evening.
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The 15th seed, who knocked out world number one Serena Williams earlier in the tournament, triumphed in straight sets for the first time in Miami on her way to the final, where she will face either Victoria Azarenka or Angelique Kerber.
Both players were strong on their own serve in the opening set, with only six break points in the first 11 games as it threatened to go to a tie-break.
However, Kuznetsova was finally able to take what was only her second break point of the match in the final game of the opener to win it 7-5 and gain control of the contest.
Bacsinszky responded perfectly with a break in the very first game of the second set, but it would prove to be the opposite of the opener as both players struggled to hold their own serve.
Indeed, in the opening six games of the second set, the serve was held just once, with that coming from Kuznetsova as she moved into a 4-2 lead.
Normalcy was resumed when both players held in back-to-back games, but Kuznetsova was then able to serve out the match and book her place in the final.
Barney Corkhill
