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MOSCOW : World's number one Jelena Jankovic battled back from a set down on Saturday to beat third seed Elena Dementieva and reach the final of the Kremlin Cup.
Serbia's Jankovic -- who is seeking her season's fourth title and third in a row here -- won 0-6, 6-1, 6-0 in one hour 44 minutes to record her sixth win over Russia's Dementieva in their ninth head-to-head meeting and set up a meeting with Vera Zvonareva.
"I wasn't playing bad in the first set, I was playing my game," Jankovic said. "But Elena has answers for all of my shots. She was always on the ball. I couldn't do anything. She was too good.
"But I tried to find an opportunity. I was waiting for my chance trying to find my rhythm. Finally, I caught the initiative. And I'm happy I was able to win this match as we both played very good tennis today."
Beijing Olympic champion Dementieva, who was playing her WTA career's 62nd semi-final, came into the match at full confidence, breaking her rival throughout the opening set to take it at love in 35 minutes.
The start of the second set was almost a mirror image of the first as this time the 23-year-old Serbian, who was playing her season's 11th semi-final, looked in command, a pair of breaks taking her 4-0 clear.
A further break saw her level at one set all after one hour 10 minutes on court.
In the deciding set, this year's US Open finalist Jankovic underlined her domination in taking it at love to make her season's sixth final berth.
"Today I was in a desperate need of the finishing net shot," Dementieva said. "In the first set I played a active style and very productively. It was one of my very best performances in recent times."
"Unfortunately, in the remaining time of the match my attacks were not so effective. She (Jankovic) has a phenomenal defence. I've got a feeling that she could keep under control not only a tennis court but the entire football field."
In Sunday's final Jankovic will face the seventh-seeded Zvonareva of Russia, who beat her compatriot Dinara Safina, the second seed, 6-2, 7-6(7/5) in one hour 31 minutes.
Zvonareva, 24, currently ninth in the world, looked in command from the start breaking twice in the opening set to take it in 32 minutes, while Safina experienced obvious problems with her first serve.
The second set went to a tiebreak, which Zvonareva won 7/5 to enter her sixth final of the season.
"I tried to perform my best tennis today," Zvonareva said. "It was my first ever Kremlin Cup semi-final and I wasn't under pressure and I really enjoyed playing here on Saturday."
- AFP /ls
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