NEW HAVEN — Second-seeded defending champion Petra Kvitova defeated four-time winner Caroline Wozniacki Friday to set up an all-Czech final against Lucie Safarova at the WTA hardcourt tournament here. Kvitova, winner of the US Open tune-up event in 2012 and 2014, roared back from a 5-3 deficit in the first set — saving one set point — to defeat third-seeded Wozniacki 7-5, 6-1. “A most difficult first set,” Kvitova said. “I was really focusing and every game was so close — a few points and it would have been on the other side.” Wozniacki admitted that she had no answer once Kvitova got rolling. “The thing is, I don't think there's any player on tour that hits it harder than she does,” Wozniacki said. “She has such good depth on the ball. If you play short she's going to punish you straight away.” Trailing 4-1 in the second set, Wozniacki had her left knee wrapped. But with the start of the US Open coming up on Monday, the Dane said it was a familiar problem, not an injury concern for the final Grand Slam of the year. Kvitova reached her fourth straight New Haven final, where she'll face fourth-seeded compatriot Safarova. Safarova, the French Open runner-up who is ranked sixth in the world, beat Ukrainian lucky loser Lesia Tsurenko 6-2, 7-6 (7/4). Tsurenko broke Safarova three times — saving a match point at 5-4 — to force the second-set tiebreaker, but couldn't force a third set. In the doubles semifinals, Germany's Julia Goerges and the Czech Republic's Lucie Hradecka beat Americans Raquel Kops-Jones and Abigail Spears 1-6, 6-3, 10-2, and Taiwan's Chia-Jung Chuang and China's Chen Liang topped Germany's Anna-Lena Groenefeld and Sweden's Johanna Larsson 3-6, 6-3, 10-7. Anderson-Herbert final French qualifier Pierre-Hugues Herbert advanced to the Winston-Salem Open final, beating 13th-seeded Steve Johnson of the US 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 Friday. Herbert, ranked 140th, will play second-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa on Saturday in the championship match at the Wake Forest Tennis Center. Anderson beat Tunisia's Malek Jaziri 6-4, 6-3. Herbert will play his ninth match in eight days. He won three qualifying matches to make the main draw, then won five more to advance to his first ATP World Tour final. Herbert is in position to become the first player in 19 years to win nine matches en route to an ATP tournament title. Spain's Roberto Carretero was the last, winning at Hamburg, Germany, in 1996. “I cannot believe it, really,” Herbert said. “The last three days, it's been really tough to wake up, really tough to practice, and really tough to go on the court. I'm really tired. “I'm taking every day step by step, point by point, and trying not to think. Maybe that's why I'm capable of being there (in the final).” Yet, all the matches appeared to catch up to Herbert early in the semifinal. Anderson, ranked 15th, advanced to his third championship match this season — he also made finals at Memphis, Tennessee, and the Queen's Club in London — and the 11th of his career. The 6-foot-8 Anderson has two career ATP tournament titles, the last coming in 2012 at Delray Beach, Florida. Since that win, Anderson is 0 for 7 in championship matches. — Agencies
