Mladenovic and Smitkova to contest Limoges final

kristinamladenovic

Mladenovic had to plug away for over two hours in an all-French semi-final at the WTA 125k series event, the world number 81 eventually prevailing 7-5 2-6 6-3.

Smitkova then beat Schiavone 6-3 6-2 in the second last-four tie at the hard-court tournament in Limoges.

Ninth seed Mladenovic edged a tight opening set in her clash with Dodin, the 21-year-old converting one of her four break-point opportunities as her younger opponent saw three chances go begging.

Dodin fought back in the second set, breaking on two occasions to pull level and force a decider.

The qualifier looked set to cause an upset with momentum on her side, but Mladenovic regained her composure and secured victory with a solitary third-set break.

She will face Smitkova after the Czech saw off the challenge of Schiavone, the player one place above her at 82 in the world rankings.

Smitkova edged into the lead with the only break of the first set and then converted two of the five opportunities that came her way in the second.

Schiavone, who has not reached a final since April 2013, failed to fashion a single break point on the Smitkova serve, meaning her long wait for a trophy continues.

Smitkova will now face Mladenovic for the second time on tour, the former having won the previous meeting in straight sets at the Luxembourg Cup in 2013.

Author(s)