Peer, Petrova rally to reach WTA Citi Open final

Israeli top seed Shahar Peer and Russian second seed Nadia Petrova each rallied for a three-set win to reach the final of a $220,000 WTA hardcourt event in suburban Washington. Peer was two points from defeat before fighting back to dispatch Austrian third seed Tamira Paszek 3-6, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 while former world number three Petrova beat 102nd-ranked, Ecuadoran-born American Irina Falconi 1-6, 6-1, 6-3. Peer, who began the week on a five-match losing streak, seeks a sixth career WTA title on Sunday but Petrova has won their five previous matches, most recently in 2009 at Los Angeles when Peer took her lone set off the Russian. "She's a really good player. She has a really big serve but hopefully I'll keep playing well," Peer said. "I won a huge match today. That gives me a lot of confidence. I'm in good shape and moving well. I'll fight as hard as I can." Petrova, 32, expects a much changed opponent than the one she last saw two years ago. "She has improved a lot," Petrova said. "It's a different Shahar." Peer, 24, won her most recent titles in 2009 at Guangzhou and Tashkent. She was one victory shy of cracking the top 10 in April but slid from a career high 11th to 24th in the rankings before switching to new coach Harold Solomon. "It would mean a lot," Peer said of winning another title. "It's the best thing. You feel like nobody can beat you." Petrova, seeking her 10th WTA title, is battling back after struggling with vertigo earlier this year. She had not reached a final since last year at New Haven and has not won a title since 2008 at Quebec City. "I would be very happy to finally get my 10th title," Petrova said. Paszek, who reached her first Grand Slam quarter-final at Wimbledon three weeks ago, took the court 16 hours after winning the second-longest WTA match of the year and promptly seized a 4-0 lead in what became another Tamira-thon. Peer was on the verge of losing in the 10th game of the second set but hit a backhand winner to break Paszek and level the set on the way to a tie-breaker in which she raced to a 5-0 lead. "I was struggling with heat illness," Paszek said. "I had dizziness and couldn't see the ball really well. I tried to keep going but I couldn't quite finish it." Paszek double faulted to hand Peer a 4-3 lead and both players held to the finish, which came after 3 hrs 6 mins when Paszek swatted a forehand long. "I know I can fight for three sets without much rest," Paszek said. "I found my game, which is a good sign for the US Open." Falconi, 21, won the first set of her first WTA semi-final in 26 minutes, but Petrova responded by taking the second in 32 minutes, then broke twice to seize a 4-0 lead in the third on her way to victory in 1 hr 46 mins. "Nadia played really well in the second and third sets," Falconi said. "She served exceptionally well. Her top-five status in the world really came out." Petrova blamed a late quarter-final finish for her slow start but said she gained confidence once she broke to open the second set. "It was like playing two matches in one day," Petrova said. "Concentration was not there. I was always a second late to the ball. I knew I had to start moving and be lighter on my feet."