Memphis, TN – Third seed Sabine Lisicki and last year's runner-up Marina Erakovic secured berths in Saturday's final at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships.
The oft-injured German slugger Lisicki defeated seventh-seeded Slovak Magdalena Rybarikova 7-5, 7-5, while Erakovic zipped past Swiss Stefanie Voegele 6-2, 6-4 in Friday's semifinal action on the hardcourts at The Racquet Club of Memphis. Rybarikova captured the Memphis title two years ago.
The 23-year-old Lisicki will appear in her seventh WTA final, seeking a fourth title. She was a runner-up in Thailand three weeks ago and hasn't won a championship since 2011.
The 24-year-old Erakovic will appear in her third career WTA final, seeking a maiden championship. She was also a runner-up in Quebec City in 2011.
Erakovic, a native Croat who plays for New Zealand, lost to Swede Sofia Arvidsson in last year's Memphis finale.
The world No. 40 Lisicki is 2-1 lifetime against the 71st-ranked Erakovic, including a quarterfinal victory in Pattaya City earlier this month.
Saturday's winner will claim $40,000.
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