Cetkovska ousts Li to reach New Haven final
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Czech qualifier Petra Cetkovska stunned up Li Na in Friday's semifinal action at the $618,000 New Haven Open tennis event, a final U.S. Open tuneup.
The world No. 40 Cetkovska outlasted the second-seeded world No. 7 Li 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (11-9) on the hardcourts at Yale University. The 26-year-old Cetkovska will now appear in her first-ever WTA final.
The Czech needed 2 hours, 41 minutes to pull off the upset, which she did despite piling up 10 double faults on Day 6. The sloppy match featured 13 service breaks, including seven by Cetkovska.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cetkovska will meet the Caroline Wozniacki-Francesca Schiavone winner in Saturday's finale. The world No. 1 Wozniacki is gunning for her fourth consecutive title at this tournament. She defeated Russian Nadia Petrova in last year's final to capture a third straight New Haven championship. Schiavone was this year's French Open runner-up to Li and captured the title at Roland Garros last year.
The start time for Saturday's final was moved up four hours to 1 p.m. (et) due to potential problems caused by Hurricane Irene.
The 2011 New Haven titlist will earn $103,000.