Hungarian teenager booked her place in the final of the Gaz de France Open with a thrilling victory over Russia's Elena Dementieva.
Dementieva's serving woes return in Paris
Hungarian teenager Agnes Szavay claimed one of the biggest victories of her career when she knocked fourth seed Elena Dementieva out of the Gaz de France Open in Paris.
The 19-year-old overcame a second set lapse to book her place in the final of the indoor event with a 6-1 1-6 7-5 success against the Russian.
Szavay got off to the best possible start in the first match between the pair, racing into a 4-0 before Dementieva finally got on the scoresheet.
The Russian saved three more break points in the sixth game to stay in the match but Szavay held her nerve to serve out for the set.
But Dementieva claimed an early break in the next to set the tone, reeling off four successive games to level the match.
The world number 13 again took the upper hand in the decider and served for the match at 5-4, but Szavay responded tenaciously to break back and again won against the head to clinch the match.
"I couldn't hold my serve," said the Russian. "I had a lot of chances but I made too many unforced errors and wasn't playing the way I should. I think she has a good chance to win this tournament."
Szavay will take on top seed Anna Chakvetadze in her third WTA final after the Russian ended French hopes with a 2-6 6-2 6-0 victory over Marion Bartoli.
The French third seed began strongly, breaking serve twice to take the opening set, but began to suffer with a back problem during the second set and went off for treatment before the decider.
However, a tearful Bartoli was clearly in pain and submitted meekly in the final set as the world number seven clinched the win on her first match point.
"I think I'm getting old, that's the only explanation," said 23-year-old Bartoli, who won her only previous meeting with Chakvetadze last year.
"It's even more disappointing because I really had the impression that I had the match in my hand and would have loved to win here in Paris."
