Paris, France (Sports Network) - A seventh-seeded Russian duo of Maria
Kirilenko and Nadia Petrova secured a berth in Friday's women's doubles final
at the French Open.
Kirilenko and Petrova toppled fifth-seeded defending Roland Garros champions
Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka of the Czech Republic 4-6, 7-5, 7-5 in a
semifinal match that was suspended Wednesday night at the conclusion of the
second set.
The 25-year-old Kirilenko was an Australian Open doubles runner-up last year,
while the 29-year-old Petrova was a U.S. Open doubles runner-up in 2010.
Kirilenko and Petrova will face a fourth-seeded Italian tandem of Sara Errani
and Roberta Vinci in the championship match. Errani and Vinci whipped a
Spanish pairing of Nuria Llagostera Vives and Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez in
straight sets here on Wednesday.
Errani and Vinci were also doubles finalists at this year's Aussie Open, but
lost to Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova and Vera Zvonareva.
The hot Errani will also appear in the women's French singles final here on
Saturday.
The winning doubles team in Paris will split $425,000.
The Sports Network