Svitolina, Cornet reach Chicago Women’s Open final

Elina Svitolina is in position to win her first title of 2021 after outlasting Rebecca Peterson to reach the WTA Chicago Women’s Open final. 

After dropping just one game in her quarter-final win over Kristina Mladenovic, Svitolina needed nearly two-and-a-half hours to dispatch Peterson 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 6-3 on Friday.

The top seed, who won the singles bronze at the recent Tokyo Olympics, will seek her 16th career WTA Tour title against ninth-seeded Alize Cornet, who rallied to defeat Varvara Gracheva 4-6, 6-1, 6-0 in the other semi-final.

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Earlier in the day, Gracheva had finished off a quarter-final upset of eighth seed Marta Kostyuk in a match that had been suspended on Thursday due to darkness. 

Gracheva prevailed 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 6-4 in that contest, with play on Friday beginning late in the second set, but did not have enough to pull out another win. 

Saturday’s final will be the eighth head-to-head meeting between Svitolina and Cornet, with the Ukrainian holding a 4-3 edge. 

Kontaveit to meet Begu in WTA Cleveland final

At the WTA Tennis in the Land event in Cleveland, second seed Anett Kontaveit defeated seventh seed Sara Sorribes Tormo 6-4, 6-4 in one semi-final. 

She will meet Irina-Camelia Begu in the final after the unseeded Romanian upset sixth seed Magda Linette 7-6 (7-5), 6-2. 

Kontaveit is through to her third final of the season (1 career singles title) while Begu will be seeking her fifth tour title and first since 2017.

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