Elena Dementieva was imperial on Friday afternoon on Stadium court at the Acura Classic complex, putting to an end a valiant run from countrywoman Maria Kirilenko in straight sets.
The former Beijing champion Kirilenko started well climbing to a 40-0 lead on her serve in the first game of the match but soon Dementieva found her range and rallied past the next five points to go up 1-0. She then secured her own service game to make it 2-0. On the next game, however, Kirilenko found her way through her serve pouding down two consecutive aces to set up a 40-15 lead that eventually allowed her to reduce the score to 2-1. But Dementieva was not impressed, she started hitting the mark with her powerful groundstrokes and soon was 5-1 up. Kirilenko still managed to hold serve at 1-5 down to get to 2-5 but The elder Russian still converted on her second set point.
The matche’s general trend continued early on in the second set with Dementieva going ahead 1-0 but soon Kirilenko showed the stuff that made her beat world number three Jankovic in the previous round. Kirilenko started mixing up and getting more agressive and soon she was up 3-1. But when it comes to comebacks Dementieva is the woman to talk to. She claimed the next three games herself to go up 4-3. Kirilenko still levelled the matchg at 4-4 but it was too late as Dementieva ran away with the last two games to seal an emphatioc 6-2 6-4 win.
Dementieva will now meet her old rival Patty Schnyder. Schnyder has also been outstanding this week beating Hingis and Petrova in back-to-back rounds ioncluding a straight set ousting of the Russian. In the head-to-head department Dementieva and Schnyder are tied at six wins each. On her last meeting at Moscow 2006 Dementieva won with two tiebreaks but also last year at this same tournament Schnyder beat Dementieva in straight sets as well. Should be one to watch. Should Dementieva reach the final she will have reached the finals of all Tier I hard court events played on american soil. She has reached that stage at Miami and Indian Wells – not to mention the US Open.
On other news, Anna Chakvetadze beat Wimbledon champion Venus Williams in three sets earning a hard fought 6-7 7-6 6-2 win. Maria Sharapova was also superb on her match against Sania Mirza allowing only three games to the Asian in a 6-2 6.1 route.
