Kontaveit upsets top seed Martic to set up Ferro final in Palermo

Estonia's Anett Kontaveit produced an aggressive display to stun top seed Petra Martic 6-2, 6-4 on Saturday as she set up a title showdown with Fiona Ferro at the Palermo Ladies Open.

Playing in her first semifinal since Stuttgart in April 2019, Kontaveit struck 31 winners and broke Martic's serve five times.

Martic, the top seed here, converted a break point late in the second set to move within one game of Kontaveit but a medical timeout halted her momentum.

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Instead, it was Kontaveit who powered through Martic's serve to book a place in her third claycourt final.

“I felt like a played a very good match today,” said world number 22 Kontaveit.

“I was quite aggressive, consistent, and I served especially well in the first set. It got a bit close in the end, but I played a good game at 5-4 and I'm happy to be in the final,” she added.

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Ferro progressed to only her second WTA final after rallying from a set down to beat home favourite Camila Giorgi 2-6, 6-2, 7-5.

The 23-year-old Frenchwoman dashed Italian hopes for a second consecutive night, having defeated former Palermo champion Sara Errani in the quarterfinals.