Quebec City, QC – New Zealand's Marina Erakovic and Barbora Zahlavova Strycova from the Czech Republic will meet in the finals of the $220,000 Bell Challenge tennis event, after posting semifinal victories on Saturday.
In the opening contest, Erakovic rallied from an early deficit to beat third seed Tamira Paszek of Austria.
Erakovic, who came into the tournament ranked 85th and without a career championship, earned a 2-6, 7-5, 6-4 victory in a semifinal that took nearly 2 1/2 hours.
This has been a remarkable climb up the rankings for Erakovic, who after a six-month break due to a left hip injury in 2009 saw her ranking fall to No. 750 (April 2010). She was ranked 333rd at the start of the 2011 season.
Erakovic fired eight aces en route to victory.
Sixth-seeded Strycova, on the other hand, was in control throughout her two- set match, posting a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Dutchwoman Michaella Krajicek in one hour, 43 minutes.
The 25-year-old Strycova broke her opponent's serve on five of six occasions, and benefited from Krajicek's six double faults.
The 2011 Bell Challenge titlist will earn $37,000.
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