SAN DIEGO, California, 2 August 2004 — French Open champion Anastasia Myskina saved nine match points to outlast fellow Russian Vera Zvonareva 6-2, 6-7, 7-6 in a thriller on Saturday to reach the final of the $1.3 million Acura Classic.
“I really wanted to win,” Myskina told reporters. “I didn’t think how I was going to win, I just fought for every point.”
The third seed now meets American Lindsay Davenport, who earlier in the day stormed into her third successive final by overcoming Russia’s Elena Dementieva 6-2, 6-4.
Davenport, the fourth seed, beat Serena Williams last week to win the JP Morgan Chase title and Venus Williams to clinch the Stanford title the previous week. In a remarkable tussle lasting two hours 28 minutes, the volatile Myskina had to call upon all her reserves to down her Fed Cup teammate. The match featured frequent outbursts by Myskina, 23, aimed at her coach Jens Erlach. Zvonareva, 19, also twice clubbed balls over the stadium in frustration.
Myskina saved the first match point at 4-5 down in the third set when Zvonareva was wild with a backhand down the line.
The tiebreak in the deciding set seesawed back and forth, with both women coming up with amazing shots at crunch times.
On five of the eight match points she warded off in the tiebreak, Myskina came up with winners, while Zvonareva also had to save four match points.
The 12th-seeded Zvonareva wept after the match but said she could have done little more.
“I was playing my best and sometimes it just doesn’t work,” said Zvonareva. “I had some lucky shots and so did she...it was a great match.”
Davenport hurt her right knee in the second set against Dementieva but believes she will be fit for the final.
Davenport also triumphed at Stanford, Carson, where the JP Morgan Chase is held, and San Diego in succession in 1998 before going on to lift the US Open.
Federer, Roddick on Wimbledon Rematch Collision Course
In Toronto, Roger Federer and Andy Roddick stormed into a re-run of last month’s Wimbledon title match Saturday, each blowing past opponents to set up a grudge-match final at the $2.5-million Masters Series.
Federer, current king of the game who has won his last nine finals, 22 matches in a row and past three tournaments, did his part with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Swede Thomas Johansson. Roddick, runner-up to the Swiss at the All England Club a month ago, followed on as he polished a 3-0 career mark against German grinder Nicolas Kiefer, winning their semifinal 7-5, 6-3. It was the second meeting between that pair after Roddick lifted the Indianapolis trophy last weekend over the 25th-ranked Kiefer.
Victory in one hour, 22 minutes was the longest of the week for Roddick and gave the defending champion a third victory against Kiefer.
The 21-year-old American, who is bidding to duplicate a torrid summer, 2003 run which led to four titles including the US Open, won his 38th match of the season on his preferred hardcourt surface, improving to 19-2 in Canada.
Kiefer put up a fight in the first set, forcing Roddick to save three break points in the fifth game. The German salvaged two set points in the tenth game, leveling for 5-all before Roddick pounced. Two games later, the American put Kiefer into a 0-30 hole, then managed to more set-winning chances. The German saved the first but netted a forehand to lose it.
The tide turned in the second set with Roddick running off with through a break in the sixth game. Top seed Federer, is now a win away from claiming four trophies in succession.
That figure would by definition include three straight on three different surfaces, duplicating a mark last set by Bjorn Borg in 1979 who earned his own hat trick on grass, clay and hard-court.
Federer now stands 56-4 this season, winning 30 of his last 31 with his last defeat coming against Gustavo Kuerten at Roland Garros.
