Hantuchova into Pac Life finals
(AP)Updated: 2007-03-17 11:30
INDIAN WELLS, Calif. - Daniela Hantuchova, the 2002 champion, defeated Li Na 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 Friday to move into the women's title match at the Pacific Life Open.
 Daniela Hatuchova, of Slovakia, celebrates after winning a point over Li Na, of China, during their semifinal match at the Pacific Life Open tennis tournament, Friday, March 16, 2007, in Indian Wells, Calif. [AP]  |
No. 18 Hantuchova will play No. 4 Svetlana Kuznetsova, the 2004
US
Open champion, for the women's crown Saturday.
Kuznetsova, a 21-year-old Russian looking for her ninth career title, beat Sybille Bammer 6-7(5), 6-4, 6-1 despite having six double faults and making 48 unforced errors.
She made up for the mistakes by hitting 39 winners to 24 for Bammer, who had three double faults and made 41 unforced errors.
Novak Djokovic advanced to the men's semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over David Ferrer.
Djokovic, a 19-year-old from Serbia, has been on a roll. He won at Adelaide in the first week of the year and has reached the quarterfinals or better in five of the six events he's played.
The men's final is Sunday.
Li, at No. 17 China's top-ranked player ever and one notch above Hantuchova, kept it close in the first set then won the second. But Hantuchova took control quickly in the third, setting the pace with well-placed groundstrokes as Li began making mistakes.
"I definitely felt like I had the edge in the third set. I felt very, very good," said Hantuchova, a willowy 5-foot-11, 123-pounder. "I changed my dress, tried to drink a lot and had a banana and just tried to stay calm and stay cool."
Li said she may have been overly eager to play short points in the third set.
"I was a little bit tired. I wanted to hit a lot of winners because I didn't want to play a lot in the court," she said. "I wanted to hit one or two good shots and then finish the points.
"So I missed a lot."
Looking drained, she lost the final two points of the match on double faults after having only one double fault earlier.
Hantuchova, a native of Slovakia who lives in Monte Carlo, beat Martina Hingis in the final at Indian Wells five years ago. Hantuchova, who was 18 at the time, went into that tournament as a relative unknown, upset third-seeded Justine Henin in the fourth round, then beat the second-seeded Hingis for the title.
That was Hantuchova's first tour victory - and she hasn't won since.
"It's just a fantastic feeling to be back on the court in the finals once again. I'm going to enjoy it and have a great time," she said. "Really, it's amazing."
Hantuchova believes her game getting steadier.
"Before, it was too much up and down," she said. "I was never really stable. But now I know what it takes to win big tournaments and to have great wins.
"I think with being mentally much, much stronger, I feel like the best times are still ahead."
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