(Reuters) - Twice grand slam winner Svetlana Kuznetsova and 14th seed Elena Vesnina posted hard-fought, straight-set wins in Friday's semi-finals to set up an all-Russian final in the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. The 31-year-old eighth seed Kuznetsova rose to the occasion in the tiebreakers, storming out to a 6-2 lead in each. Vesnina claimed a 5-0 lead in the first set, breaking her French opponent twice before letting her onto the scoreboard. Vesnina dominated again at the start of the second set, breaking Mladenovic's first two service games in building a 5-1 lead. Vesnina finally closed it out when Mladenovic netted a second serve return, sending the beaming Russian into a jump for joy.

Source: The Star March 18, 2017 06:45 UTC