Hantuchova prevailed in a tight match of extremes, from bland slugging stalemates to thrilling cross-court rallies and heated protests from the top seed and twice champion who refused to play at one stage.

Zvonareva was on the wrong side of a series of contentious line calls and the Russian spent much of the match mumbling angrily to herself or shouting and gesticulating at the umpire.

Hantuchova was the better of the two in a tight first set and canceled out a stream of poor returns with some stunning cross-court backhands that had Zvonareva under pressure and on the decline in the deciding tiebreak.

The Slovak held her nerve in the second set and kept Zvonareva's frustrated comeback efforts at bay.

Zvonareva's aspirations for a title hat trick sank when Hantuchova broke at 3-3 in the second set, prompting a lengthy and entertaining bout of Russian racket smashing.

The Russian was penalized for improper conduct, which put Hantuchova at match point. Zvonareva refused to play and demanded the referee intervene after questioning the umpire, who said she had read her lips and detected abusive language.

"I didn't agree with that. I talked to myself - in Russian. I don't think she can understand that," she told reporters.

"It wasn't a good day for me. There's too much on my mind this week. I'm not just under pressure as defending champion here, it's everything and I'm not focused on my game." Hantuchova said she was the stronger of the two players but empathized with her opponent.

"It really was dramatic and was a good fight. I was surprised with my top form too," she said.

"When you play her, you have to expect she won't give it to you easily. I really didn't know what's going on, but it was tough for her. Mentally, you have to stay strong." Hantuchova will play eighth seed Sara Errani after her 6-1, 6-4 win in an all-Italian semifinal with Roberta Vinci.

Errani reached her first final in two years after a match that was far from one-sided. Playing her training partner and best friend on the tour in such a crucial match was no easy task.

"It was difficult for both of us to play against each other, for me, much more," Errani said.

"The game could have gone either way. She played below her standard but I'm feeling very confident now."