Krajicek to face Benesova in WTA Hobart Final

Iveta Benesova, the No.5 seed in Hobart, nearly joined all seven other seeds on the sidelines in the day's first semifinal, but came back from the brink of defeat against Italy's Mara Santangelo, winning 46 75 61 to advance to her fifth career Tour singles final. The 22-year-old from Most, Czech Republic dropped her serve in the seventh game of the match en route to losing the first set, but after evening things up at one set apiece took complete control, stringing together six consecutive games to close out the two-hour, 14-minute match.

"I'm pretty happy and excited," said Benesova, a one-time Tour singles titlist at Acapulco in 2004. "I was down in the first set and I'm really happy I came back and found a way to win the match. It's definitely good for my confidence to know that I can win tough matches. It's not good for my energy though, I feel a little tired after."

Awaiting Benesova in the final will be Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek, who ousted Croatia's Jelena Kostanic 64 62 in a one-hour, 24-minute feature night match. It will be the second career Tour singles final for Krajicek, who captured the Tier IV title at Tashkent in October 2005.

"I was serving well and I was really happy with the way I played," Krajicek said. "In the second set she made some mistakes and her serve wasn't going that well so that was good for me of course."

Benesova has had a difficult road to this week's final, beginning with three-set victories in the first two rounds against Spain's Maria Sanchez Lorenzo and American Mashona Washington. Then, in the quarterfinals, she defeated No.4 seed Amy Frazier in two tie-break sets. Krajicek has had an easier path, going to three sets just once in the second round against France's Stephanie Foretz, and enjoying straight set wins over Maret Ani and Alona Bondarenko in earlier rounds. The two finalists have never played on the Tour previously but know each other well.

"I know a lot about her," Krajicek said. "We've practised three years together because I live partly in the Czech Republic because my parents are from there. It's going to be a tough match but hopefully we'll have some fun because we're friends. She's got a good return. Maybe my serve is a little bit better but I think her return is better than mine so it's going to be tough."

In Friday's doubles final, top seeds Nicole Pratt and Emilie Loit will face No.5 seeds Jill Craybas and Kostanic. In Thursday's semifinals, Pratt and Loit ousted No.4 seeds Santangelo and Washington 64 63, while Craybas and Kostanic defeated Martina Muller and Laura Pous Tio 61 46 62. (WTA)