Dominika Cibulkova reached the Eastbourne International final after dispatching Puerto Rican qualifier Monica Puig 6-2, 6-1 Friday. The Slovak always held the upper hand, holding two break points for a 2-0 lead before breaking for 4-2, and again for the set. A further break for 2-0 in the second set put her firmly on the way to a comfortable victory. Earlier, Cibulkova defeated top seed and former champion Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland 4-6, 7-6 (2), 6-3 in a quarterfinal that took more than three hours to complete over two days. Play resumed after overnight rain with Radwanska leading 3-2 in the second set, but Cibulkova immediately broke to level, and after Radwanska failed to convert a break point to lead 5-4, Cibulkova dominated the tiebreaker. Radwanska again failed to take advantage of her opportunities in the final set, letting two break points for a 3-1 lead slip away before Cibulkova swept the last four games. "I don't think I was playing good enough today," Radwanska said. "She was playing really aggressive, good tennis." Karolina Pliskova then beat Johanna Konta 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-3 to advance to the final. The two had earlier won their delayed quarterfinals. Pliskova resumed after an overnight break at 4-0 in the opening set, and the Czech went on to overwhelm former champion Elena Vesnina of Russia 6-1, 6-3. Britain's Konta also overcame a Russian former champion, defeating Ekaterina Makarova 7-6 (5), 6-4. Konta, the first British woman to be ranked in the world top 20 since 1986, was under pressure when Makarova broke to lead 5-4, but she leveled and, after edging the tiebreaker, went on to break for 5-4 in the second set. Cuevas in first grass final In Nottingham, Pablo Cuevas reached the first grass-court final of his career Friday after beating Gilles Muller in three sets at the Nottingham Open. Before this week, the Uruguayan had two match wins on grass in his 12-year career. This week he's won four after beating Muller 3-6, 7-6 (3), 6-4 in the semifinals. Cuevas is eyeing a sixth career title against Andreas Seppi of Italy or Steve Johnson of the United States. Earlier, Johnson quickly finished off his quarterfinal with top-seeded Kevin Anderson of South Africa, who led 4-3 in the third set when darkness forced a suspension Thursday. Johnson swept the last three games to complete a 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4 win. — Agencies
