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Pavlyuchenkova, Vesnina through to Istanbul final
Third-seeded Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova has advanced to the final of the Istanbul Cup with a 7-6 (1), 2-6, 7-5 win over Australian Jarmila Groth.
She will play another Russian, Elena Vesnina, who upset sixth-seeded Andrea Petkovic of Germany, 1-6, 6-0, 7-6 (2) in the other semifinal on Saturday.
The No 29-ranked Pavlyuchenkova fended off strong serving from Groth, who had 11 aces. The victory gives the Russian her best tournament showing since she won her first WTA Tour singles title at the Monterrey Open in Mexico in March.
Vesnina, who had lost seven straight matches before arriving in
Istanbul, trailed in the third set during the tightly fought
contest with Petkovic before pulling out victory.
