Vera Zvonareva and Maria Sharapova will face each other in an all-Russian final at the Qatar Total Open in Doha on Sunday. Unseeded Zvonareva reached her second final of the year with a 3-6 6-3 6-3 win over China’s Na Li, while Sharapova avenged her tough 2007 US Open loss to Agnieszka Radwanska with a 6-4 6-3 victory over the Polish teenager.
To win the semifinal match against China’s Na Li, world No.27 Zvonareva battled back from a break down in both the second and third sets. Zvonareva, who has won five titles in Tier III events, will tomorrow play the biggest final of her career.
The three-times Grand Slam champion Sharapova has been impressive this season, having improved to perfect 13-0 win loss record, which includes a run through the Australian Open last month. In the 92-minute semifinal against seed No.16 Radwanska, Sharapova broke her opponent five times and had a great first serve percentage of 71.
The two Russians have met each other on the court seven times so far, and Sharapova leads 4-3. Their last match was at Indian Wells last year, when Zvonareva won 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.
The winner of the Qatar Total Open will earn $414,000.
