Twice defending champion and top seed Vera Zvonareva suffered a straight sets defeat to Daniela Hantuchova in the semifinals of the PTT Pattaya Open. To make matters worse for Zvonareva, the match point that Hantuchova converted came when Zvonareva was penalized for swearing (after having been warned for smashing a racquet).
The 7-6(3) 6-4 victory has enabled the fourth-seeded Hantuchova to be one match way from her first title since Linz 2007. Her last obstacle will be eighth seed Sara Errani.
The final at the Open GDF Suez in Paris will feature seed No.1 Kim Clijsters, who will become WTA No.1 on Monday, and fourth seed and world No.18 Petra Kvitova. Clijsters defeated Kaia Kanepi 6-1 7-5 in the semifinals, while Kvitova cruised past Bethanie Mattek Sands 6-2 6-0.
Both Clijsters and Kvitova have already clinched a title this season: Clijsters won the Australian Open, while Kvitova won the Brisbane International. So far they have faced each other two times, both matches were in 2010, and Clijsters was victorious on both occasions, losing a total of just five games. (photo: Stephane Martinache)
Z’s loss was more than just a tennis loss, the match point hit her ego too.
Zvonareva’s defeat is really disappointing especially for her fans who were expecting her third PTT Pattaya Open title. I hope she is able to control her temper next time. http://www.tennisround.com