Either world No.82 Alla Kudryavtseva or world No.72 Elena Vesnina will win their first WTA singles title in the final of the Tashkent Open. It is the first all-Russian final at the Tashkent Open, the tournament which has been played for 15 years. Actually, it is the first time a Russian player has reached a final there.
Kudryavtseva will be playing her second straight final, after her finals appearance in Guangzhou over the weekend (prior to that final in China she had never been past the quarterfinals of a WTA event). As for Vesnina, she’s 0-3 in career singles finals, having lost in Istanbul this year and Auckland and New Haven in 2009.
Seventh-seeded Kudryavtseva reached the Tashkent Open title match with a 6-1 3-6 6-3 win over Evgeniya Rodina, while fourth-seeded Vesnina defeated fifth seed Monica Niculescu 6-3 3-6 6-4, rallying from 4-1 down in the third set. (photos: © Neal Trousdale)
