Petra Kvitova beats Venus Williams in 3 sets to reach final of Pan Pacific Open
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Petra Kvitova rallied to defeat Venus Williams 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2) on Friday and advance to the Pan Pacific Open final.
The seventh-seeded Kvitova dominated the tiebreak, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. Williams won the next two points before the Czech player capitalized on her third match point.
Williams had been bidding for her first title since winning in Luxembourg last October.
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"I was probably a little tired," said Williams, who endured a three-hour, three-setter on Thursday. "But I don't think it affected the match. She played two matches yesterday so no doubt was a little tired as well."
Kvitova, who held off 11 break points, will face either fourth-seeded Caroline Wozniacki or No. 5 Angelique Kerber.
"I am really happy with how I played today," Kvitova said. "It was a very close match and every game was up and down."