Nadia Petrova def. Maria Kirilenko 2-6, 6-2, 6-2Kirilenko took a bathroom break before the third set, but that couldn't shake Petrova's momentum. The eigth seed cruised through the third set, continuing to connect on both her serves and groundstrokes. She served two aces, dropped only three points on serve, and was never challenged by a frustrated Kirilenko. Petrova, who gained entry to this year's Pilot Pen only after Ana Ivanovic withdrew, now advances to her first final since 2008 with a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory.
Denis Istomin def. Viktor Troicki, 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-2
This match was all about lost opportunities for tenth-seeded Viktor Troicki. The tall right-hander from Serbia has had previous success during the Olympus US Open Series. In 2008, he defeated Andy Roddick en route to the Washington, D.C. Final, and made the Third Round of the US Open that year, before losing to top seed Rafael Nadal. But entering the 2010 Pilot Pen, Troicki had more losses than wins on the year, and his world ranking of No. 45 is more than twenty spots lower than his career high.
Denis Istomin from Uzbekistan, ranked right below Troicki at No. 46, is on a different trajectory and stands at a career-high ranking. He had a successful grass court season, making the Semifinals at Eastbourne and the Third Round at Wimbledon, and successfully qualified for both ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events this summer (in Toronto and Cincinnati).
The two battled evenly through the first set, trading breaks in the fourth and fifth games. But when Troicki broke for a 5-4 lead and a chance to serve out the set, it looked like he was in complete control of the match. A couple of unforced errors from the Serb proved costly and, ultimately, forced a tiebreak. On the strength of two aces, Troicki twice reached set point, but Istomin held him off, and won the tiebreak 12-10.
Troicki turned things around, jumping to a 5-1 lead in the second set in just over twenty minutes. He was broken in his first attempt to serve out the set, but saved a break point while serving at 5-3, and evened the match at a set apiece, 6-3.
Troicki grabbed an early lead in the third set as well, breaking Istomin for a 2-1 lead. But this lead would disappear just as quickly. Istomin used solid groundstrokes to sweep the final five games of the match, and earn a 7-6(10), 3-6, 6-2 victory. Istomin advances to his first ATP Tour final, and will face ninth seeded Sergiy Stakhovsky in the Final.
Caroline Wozniacki def. Elena Dementieva, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5)
The evening's marquee match-up lived up to its billing. The top seed and two-time defending Pilot Pen Tennis champion Caroline Wozniacki got off to a slow start against fourth-seeded Elena Dementieva. After ten minutes of play, Wozniacki was down two breaks of serve at 0-3, and called her father on court for a coaching session. The 20-year-old Wozniacki explained later that she wasn't "feeling" the ball well, and was dealing with a lower back problem, for which she would later receive treatment in a medical timeout and during several changeovers. Dementieva was striking the ball well and was in full control of play as she broke Wozniacki a third time to close out the set 6-1.
Momentum shifted immediately in the second set. Wozniacki turned the tables and grabbed a two-service-break lead for 3-0. With errors creeping into Dementieva's game, and with Wozniacki finding the range on her down-the-line backhand, the Dane kept her lead throughout the set, closing it out, 6-3.
Dementieva broke easily to start the third, and survived a five-deuce game to hold a 2-0 lead. That lead would hold up until she served for the match at 5-4 in the third set. Four errors off the Russian's racket put the match back even at 5-5. Wozniacki held serve, and, receiving at 6-5, was the beneficiary of three straight Dementieva forehands into the net, setting up triple match point. But Dementieva followed her errors with three straight winners. After failing to convert those three match points, a frustrated Wozniacki threw her racket to the ground, and the players prepared for a third set tiebreak.
The lead continued to change hands in the tiebreak as well. Dementieva appeared more solid at first, and, with a 107 mph ace down the T, took a 4-3 lead. But more errors from Elena gave Wozniacki four of the final five points, and the defending champion won the match, 1-6, 6-3, 7-6(5). With her win, Wozniacki brings her New Haven record to 12-0, and tries for a title three-peat in tomorrow's final against Petrova.
